Forgiveness as a function of offense severity, apology extensiveness, and perceived sincerity

The present study addresses issues concerning apologies and forgiveness in the context of workplace relationships. Specifically it examines three hypothesized antecedents of forgiveness: offense severity, apology extensiveness, and the perceived sincerity of the offender's apology. To this end, a survey study and an experiment were run separately with the participation of 78 (survey study) and 166 (experiment) PMBA students of a private university located in the capital of Colombia. The results indicated that the forgiveness process may differ depending on the severity of the offense. That is, the perceived severity of the offense might influence the extent which an individual forgives an offense. It also seems that as offenses increase in severity, victims employ demanding criteria to assess the sincerity of the offender's apology. A further result is the relevance of perceived sincerity to explain forgiveness. If offenders are perceived as offering sincere apologies, victims are more willing to view favorably them than when apologies are perceived to be insincere. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.