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Forgiveness is not always divine: When expressing forgiveness makes others avoid you

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  • Adams, Gabrielle S.
  • Zou, Xi
  • Inesi, M. Ena
  • Pillutla, Madan M.

Abstract

Organizational scholars have recently become interested in forgiveness as a way to resolve workplace conflicts and repair relationships. We question the assumption that forgiveness always has these relational benefits. In three studies we investigated participants’ responses to people who expressed forgiveness of them versus those who did not. We found that when the ostensible transgressor did not believe he or she had committed a wrongdoing, expressing forgiveness damaged the relationship relative to a control condition. This effect occurred when participants were made to believe that a real person had forgiven them (Studies 1 and 2) and when they imagined a co-worker had forgiven them (Study 3). Furthermore, in the absence of wrongdoing, participants’ perceptions of the forgiver as self-righteous mediated the effect of forgiveness on avoidance of forgivers (Studies 2 and 3). We discuss implications for conflict management.

Suggested Citation

  • Adams, Gabrielle S. & Zou, Xi & Inesi, M. Ena & Pillutla, Madan M., 2015. "Forgiveness is not always divine: When expressing forgiveness makes others avoid you," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 130-141.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:126:y:2015:i:c:p:130-141
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.10.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, "undated". "Third Party Punishment and Social Norms," IEW - Working Papers 106, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
    2. Karl Aquino & Murray Bradfield, 2000. "Perceived Victimization in the Workplace: The Role of Situational Factors and Victim Characteristics," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(5), pages 525-537, October.
    3. Gary E. Bolton & Rami Zwick & Elena Katok, 1998. "Dictator game giving: Rules of fairness versus acts of kindness," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 27(2), pages 269-299.
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    Cited by:

    1. Klein, Nadav, 2019. "Better to overestimate than to underestimate others’ feelings: Asymmetric cost of errors in affective perspective-taking," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 1-15.
    2. Guglielmo Faldetta, 2022. "Forgiving the Unforgivable: The Possibility of the ‘Unconditional’ Forgiveness in the Workplace," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 91-103, September.

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