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Gender Differences in Forgiveness and its Affective Correlates
1Department of Psychology, The Jan Kochanowski University, ul. Krakowska 11, 25-029, Kielce, Poland. k_kaleta@wp.pl.
Journal of Religion and Health
|August 6, 2021
Summary
Men reported higher general forgiveness and willingness to overcome unforgiveness than women. Emotional factors like affect and anxiety relate differently to forgiveness across genders, with gender moderating some associations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Societal beliefs suggest women are more forgiving than men, but empirical evidence is mixed.
- Limited understanding exists regarding gender-specific correlates of experiencing forgiveness.
- Previous research has not fully explored how emotional factors interact with forgiveness differently in men and women.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare levels of dispositional forgiveness between men and women.
- To examine the emotional correlates of forgiveness, including positive and negative affect, anxiety, and emotional control, across genders.
- To investigate potential gender moderation in the relationship between affective traits and forgiveness.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 625 individuals (76.5% women, 23.5% men) aged 19-69 participated.
- Validated Polish versions of the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered.
- Statistical analyses were performed to compare forgiveness levels and analyze emotional correlates, with a focus on gender differences and moderation.
Main Results:
- Men exhibited higher general forgiveness and a greater willingness to overcome unforgiveness compared to women; no significant gender difference was found in positive facets of forgiveness.
- Across both genders, negative affect, anxiety, and control of anger/depression were negatively associated with forgiveness dimensions, while positive affect was positively associated.
- Gender moderated the relationship between anxiety control and forgiveness of self/situations, with negative associations in females and positive in males.
Conclusions:
- Men may possess higher dispositional forgiveness and a stronger inclination to move past unforgiveness than women.
- Affective states and emotional control are significantly linked to forgiveness, but these associations are influenced by gender.
- Gender plays a moderating role in how emotional traits relate to specific aspects of forgiveness, particularly self-forgiveness and forgiveness of uncontrollable situations.
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