The plural morality of forgiveness: Insights from a qualitative interview study of cultural codifications

 

The Plural Morality of Forgiveness:

Insights from a Qualitative Interview Study of Cultural Codifications

Sonja Fücker¹, Christian von Scheve¹

Angela Merkl², Mona Park²,

¹ Institute of Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin
² Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Forgiveness can be regarded as a fundamental means of societal integration depending on the level of ‘common knowledge’. Controlling affective responses after a transgression has multiple functions for conflict resolution, the maintenance of social relationships, for fostering reconciliation and sustaining cooperation as it is taking for granted that forgiveness is an indicator for what is universally considered right or wrong in societal groups.

Given these pronounced interpersonal functions of forgiveness, it is interesting to note that actors’ understanding of forgiveness is substantially framed by different cultural discourses and social practices and thus exhibits a pronounced moral and normative stance.

We will present results of a recent study highlighting (1) the reciprocal social constructions of both individual emotional settings and normative discourse in granting or receiving forgiveness as well as (2) the links between emotional and cognitive processes in forgiveness, considering the relevance of ‘common knowledge’ in the practice of forgiveness towards actors’ moral framings. Findings based on in-depth interviews imply that victims of transgressions regulate resulting negative affective and motivational states such as anger, resentment, and sadness by markedly recruiting perspective taking competencies. The willingness to forgive is associated with the cognitive ability of ‘understanding’ others’ actions, a certain level of ‘common knowledge’, and the capacity of taking wrongdoers’ perspective, all of which require reference to general knowledge structures and cultural framings prevalent in a cultural setting.

Consequently, forgiveness can be taken as an example of the interdependency between individual emotion stands and collective normative stands in consideration of different cultural codifications of significant moral, values and norms.