Empathy Mediates the Relationship Between Motivations After Transgression and Forgiveness

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Abstract

Previous studies found the associations between motivations after transgression and forgiveness in adults. However, less is known about the relationship between transgression-related motivations and forgiveness among adolescents and the potential mediating role of empathy. These questions were investigated among 445 Chinese adolescents using the Tendency to Forgive Scale, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The results found a negative relationship between avoidance and revenge motivation and forgiveness tendency and a positive association between benevolent motivation and forgiveness tendency. In addition, the study also revealed a partial mediating role of empathy regarding the effect of the transgression-related motivations on forgiveness tendency. These findings suggested that empathy plays a vital role in the relationship between transgression-related motivations and forgiveness among adolescents.

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