TY - JOUR
T1 - Humility and its Relationship to Self-condemnation, Defensiveness and Self-forgiveness Following Interpersonal Transgressions
AU - Onody, Alison P.
AU - Woodyatt, Lydia
AU - Wenzel, Michael
AU - Cibich, Mikaela
AU - Sheldon, Amanda
AU - Cornish, Marilyn A.
PY - 2020/6/1
Y1 - 2020/6/1
N2 - Ideally, following an interpersonal transgression an offender will accept responsibility, work through guilt or shame, and be willing to reconcile with the victim. However, this process can be thwarted by defensiveness or self-condemnation. We tested whether humility was associated with increased self-forgiveness, decreased self-condemnation and defensiveness, and increased willingness to reconcile. In Study 1 (N = 302), we found trait humility was associated with higher levels of trait self-forgiveness directly and indirectly via reduced defensiveness (but not self-condemnation). In Study 2 (N = 194), we found that trait and state humility were associated with higher levels of self-forgiveness directly and indirectly via reduced defensiveness, and through both of these, humility was positively associated with willingness to reconcile. There was also a weak positive indirect effect of humility on willingness to reconcile via reduced self-condemnation. These studies suggest that humility, long ignored in forgiveness studies, might play several crucial roles.
AB - Ideally, following an interpersonal transgression an offender will accept responsibility, work through guilt or shame, and be willing to reconcile with the victim. However, this process can be thwarted by defensiveness or self-condemnation. We tested whether humility was associated with increased self-forgiveness, decreased self-condemnation and defensiveness, and increased willingness to reconcile. In Study 1 (N = 302), we found trait humility was associated with higher levels of trait self-forgiveness directly and indirectly via reduced defensiveness (but not self-condemnation). In Study 2 (N = 194), we found that trait and state humility were associated with higher levels of self-forgiveness directly and indirectly via reduced defensiveness, and through both of these, humility was positively associated with willingness to reconcile. There was also a weak positive indirect effect of humility on willingness to reconcile via reduced self-condemnation. These studies suggest that humility, long ignored in forgiveness studies, might play several crucial roles.
KW - interpersonal
KW - positive psychology
KW - virtues
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082738154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0091647120911111
DO - 10.1177/0091647120911111
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85082738154
VL - 48
SP - 118
EP - 130
JO - Journal of Psychology and Theology
JF - Journal of Psychology and Theology
SN - 0091-6471
IS - 2
ER -