Predictors of Forgiveness in Asian Female University Students

Abstract

The present research re-examined the relationship between thinking styles (analytic and holistic) and willingness to forgive, and causal attribution as the mediator of the relationship. It also studied alternative explanation of the relationship including collectivism, self-construal identification (interdependent and independent), as well as other predictors of forgiveness including perceived acceptability of expressing negative emotions (anger, contempt, and disgust) and empathy. Furthermore, it distinguished decisional and emotional forgiveness, as well as forgiving in-group and out-group members. The participants were 173 students from Asian University for Women. Participants completed a series of paper and pen measures regarding all the hypothesized related factors of forgiveness and their willingness to forgive. Unexpectedly, the relationship between thinking styles and forgiveness was not replicated as the previous study. None of the alternative explanation was supported by the data. However, as expected, causal attribution was found to be the most predictor of forgiveness. The inability of the data to illustrate the correlation between thinking styles as well as other factors with forgiveness might be due to the particularity of the current sample. Future research should replicate this study with a more diverse sample in term of thinking styles and cultural values.