Pascale Sophie Russell, Erica G Hepper, Fabio Fasoli, Aífe Hopkins-Doyle, Felien Boone
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Expressing emotions within apologies can be important in facilitating forgiveness. We reviewed current evidence to uncover what types of emotional apologies have been studied, in terms of specific emotions expressed in apologies and in what contexts they have been examined. From this wider literature, we then conducted a meta-analysis (k = 22 studies) on the effect of emotional apologies compared to no-emotion expression or neutral states on levels of forgiveness. We found that expressing emotions can generally facilitate higher levels of forgiveness. However, it was evident that there has been a narrow range of emotions manipulated in past apology contexts and very little research comparing the impact of emotional apologies from differing perspectives (i.e., victims, perpetrators, and bystanders). The findings highlighted the need to expand and improve on how emotional apologies are studied and eventually delivered in reaction to societal events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
Emotion publishes significant contributions to the study of emotion from a wide range of theoretical traditions and research domains. The journal includes articles that advance knowledge and theory about all aspects of emotional processes, including reports of substantial empirical studies, scholarly reviews, and major theoretical articles. Submissions from all domains of emotion research are encouraged, including studies focusing on cultural, social, temperament and personality, cognitive, developmental, health, or biological variables that affect or are affected by emotional functioning. Both laboratory and field studies are appropriate for the journal, as are neuroimaging studies of emotional processes.