Abstract
This study dealt with a class of events which contribute to the development of negative attitudes. These events involve one person who takes advantage of or usurps the rights of another person with varying degrees of deliberation. A frequently employed tactic of offenders in such situations is the apology. The present study investigated an alternate tactic involving a cognitive restructuring of the offensive experience for the target of the offense. This tactic minimizes the admission-of-guilt associated with apology and emphasizes the target's voluntary participation in the offensive interaction (e.g., “Thank you for waiting for me,” versus, “I am sorry I was late.”). It was found that apology was superior to cognitive restructuring if the offensive event was unambiguous; however, the two tactics were equally effective if the offensive event was a relatively ambiguous one.
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