Making Up or Getting Even? The Effects of Face Concerns,Self-Construal,and Apology on Forgiveness,Reconciliation,and Revenge in the United States and China

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to integrate the central constructs in the face-negotiation theory in the examination of the antecedents and behavioral consequences of forgiveness in relational transgressions in U.S. and Chinese cultures. Results indicated that in both cultures, transgression victims’ independent self-construal and self-face concern were negatively associated, whereas their interdependent self-construals and other-face concerns were positively associated, with forgiveness, and offender apology was positively associated with forgiveness. Forgiveness had a positive relationship with reconciliation but a negative relationship with revenge in both cultures. The hypothesized model in which forgiveness mediated the relationships of antecedents on reconciliation and revenge fit the data well in both cultural samples.