Can gender, religion, education, age and personality predict willingness to forgive?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe whether gender, age, religion, education and personality variables (Psychoticism, Extroversion and Neuroticism) can predict willingness to forgive among a sample of Mafikeng Residents in North West Province, South Africa. Data was collected from two hundred and twenty (220) residents in Mafikeng households consisting of 132 (60%) females and 88 (40%) males. Age in years ranged from 18 to 68 with a mean age of 28.7 (SD) = 11.9. Through a multi-staged sampling of streets and households, participants were reached in Mafikeng municipality area of the North West Province, South Africa. Using hierarchical multiple regression (stepwise method), results showed that the overall model was significant: Adjusted R Square = 089, F (2, 211) = 11.460, P the study (gender, age, Christian, Muslim, Married, Single, Below Matric, Matric, Post Matric, Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism), only Extraversion (s = .27, p = .001) and Post-matric level of education (s = .16, p = .001) explained 8% of the total variance on willingness to forgive. Psychoticism, Neuroticism, gender, age, Christian, Muslim, Married, Single, Below Matric, Matric, were excluded from the model. These findings have significant practical implications for forgiveness as a psychological concept. The authors acknowledges that the study is new and therefore suggests the need for more research in this direction and a need for cultural focus and relevant programmes on forgiveness.