Self-control Research On The Impact Of Forgiveness

This research was about situational forgiveness and based on the strength model of self control. Two experiments were designed to investigate how self control affects forgiveness in certain offensive situation. The first experiment adopted one factor completely random design to exam the effect of the prime self-control on forgiveness. The second experiment adopted 3x2 completely random design to exam the role of self control in forgiveness and how to decrease self depletion to promote forgiveness.The results showed that:(1) In the self control prime condition, paticipants were more willing to forgive; (2) The main effect of depletion was significant, the tendency of forgiveness varied in different depletion situation; (3) The main effect of situation was significant. The tendency of forgiveness in the situation of autonomy was different from that in the situation of pressure; (4)In the condition of high self depletion, the motivation of revenge will be affected by different situations; In the condition of low self depletion or non self depletion, the motivation of revenge had no difference; (5)There was no difference of the motivation of revenge in the situation of autonomy. In the situation of pressure, the motivation of revenge was the highest when participants had high self depletion, whereas the motivation of revenge had no difference in the condition of low self depletion or non self depletion; (6)The motivation of avoidance in the situation of pressure was higher than that in the situation of autonomy. The motivation of avoidance in the situation of high self depletion was highest. There was no difference between the situation of low self depletion or non self depletion; (7)The subjective vatality decreased when suffered self depletion. In the situation of autonomy, the subjective vatality increased. No significant interaction effect of depletion and situation.The following conclusions can be drawn through the above two experiments:(1) The prime self-control can promote forgiveness, namely self control can improve the level of forgiveness when individual faces offensive situations; (2) Depleting self control in a task would negatively affect the process of forgiving an interpersonal transgression. The higher the self depletion, the lower the possibility of forgiveness; (3) Autonomy support can reduce the loss of self depletion. The self depletion is higher in the situation of autonomy support than in the stress situation. As long as the participants feel the sense of autonomy even if they suffer self depletion, they can keep the resource of self control on a certain level which can maintain the forgiveness. (4) In the situation of autonomy support, the subjective vatality of participants who feel the sense of autonomy will increase. The subjective vatality can counteract the self depletion to promote forgiveness.