On the form and function of forgiving: modeling the time-forgiveness relationship and testing the valuable relationships hypothesis.
In two studies, the authors sought to identify the mathematical function underlying the temporal course of forgiveness. A logarithmic model outperformed linear, exponential, power, hyperbolic, and exponential-power models. The logarithmic function implies a psychological process yielding diminishing returns, corresponds to the Weber-Fechner law, and is functionally similar to the power law underlying the psychophysical function (Stevens, 1971) and the forgetting function (Wixted & Ebbesen, 1997). By 3 months after their transgressions, the typical participant's forgiveness had increased by two log-odds units. Individual differences in rates of change were correlated with robust predictors of forgiveness. Consistent with evolutionary theorizing (McCullough, 2008), Study 2 revealed that forgiveness was uniquely associated with participants' perceptions that their relationships with their offenders retained value.
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751, USA. mikem@miami.edu
Michael E
ME
McCullough
Lindsey Root
LR
Luna
Jack W
JW
Berry
Benjamin A
BA
Tabak
Giacomo
G
Bono
D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010551:Personality; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult