This study is an attempt to examine the mediating effect of perspective- taking on the relationship between response style and forgiveness of others. Based on the finding that rumination about transgressor has an negative effect on forgiveness, it is ...
This study is an attempt to examine the mediating effect of perspective- taking on the relationship between response style and forgiveness of others. Based on the finding that rumination about transgressor has an negative effect on forgiveness, it is safe to assume that individual's consistent ruminative response style also influences the situation-specific forgiveness of others. In addition to the relationships between ruminative response style and forgiveness of others, the present study also try to investigate the relationships between reflective response style and forgiveness of others as well as the relationships between distractive response style and forgiveness of others. In this process, perspective-taking, an important factor that explains forgiveness of others, might mediate between response style and forgiveness others.
After reading two scenarios, 269 undergraduate students either generated free thoughts or thoughts from their point of view and transgressor's point of view. Then they rated forgiveness of others (TRIM) and open-ended type of question for perspective-taking. An analysis was performed according to the two different open-ended types of question for perspective- taking. In order to identify the relationships among the variables, correlation analysis was carried out and regression analysis proposed by Baron and Kenny(1986) was performed to verify the mediation effect of perspective- taking. The following are results of this study.
First, in the case of free thoughts, ruminative response style has negative relationships with forgiveness of others and perspective-taking (close-ended). Reflective response style has positive relationship only with perspective-taking(close-ended), and distractive response style has no relationship with any other variables. In the case of induced thoughts, ruminative response style has negative relationship only with forgiveness of others. Reflective response style has positive relationships with perspective (induced thoughts), forgiveness of others, and perspective-taking(close- ended). Distractive response style has no relationship.
Second, in the case of induced thoughts, perspective-taking(induced thoughts) had an perfect mediating effect on the relationship between ruminative response style and forgiveness of others. In the case of free thoughts, perspective-taking (close-ended) had an partial mediating effect on the relationship between ruminative response style and forgiveness of others. In the case of induced thoughts, perspective-taking(close-ended) had an perfect mediating effect on the relationship between reflective response style and forgiveness of others.
This study has identified the dispositional factor that causes forgiveness of others by examining the relationship between response style and forgiveness. It also has an important meaning in a way that it found the relationship between response style and cognitive factor.