The association between victims' vulnerable and grandiose narcissism and grudge holding.

Two nonexperimental studies were conducted to test how and why transgression victims' narcissism influences their grudge holding, using undergraduate students and a community sample of adults, respectively. Study 1 tested the association between victims' vulnerable narcissism and grudge holding, including emotional persistence, perceived longevity, and disdain toward the transgressor. It also tested the extent to which victims' grandiose narcissism moderated the association. Study 2 was conducted to replicate Study 1 and test whether victims' rumination about the transgression mediated the moderated association. Overall, those with higher degrees of grandiosity showed a positive relation between vulnerable narcissism and reported emotional persistence (Studies 1 and 2) and perceived longevity (Study 2). Finally, rumination explained the moderated relation (Study 2).

A Sorry Excuse for an Apology: Examining People's Mental Representations of an Apologetic Face.

The goal of the current research was to gain an understanding of people's mental representations of an apologetic face. In Study 1, participants' responses were used to generate visual templates of apologetic faces through reverse correlation (Study 1a, n = 121), and a new set of participants (Study 1b, n = 37 and 1c, n = 153) rated that image (group-level Classification Image, CI), as well as either the inverse image (group-level anti-CI in Study 1b) or base face (in Study 1c), on apology-related characteristics. Results demonstrated that people have a mental representation of an apologetic face, and that sadness is an important feature of this template. To examine similarities between mental representations of apologetic and sad faces, participants in Study 2 generated visual templates of sad faces using reverse correlation (Study 2a, n = 121). New participants (Study 2b, n = 162) were then randomly assigned to rate the averaged face, eyes, and mouths (group-level CIs) as well as the individual visual templates (individual-level CIs) generated from both studies for either how apologetic or sad they appeared. Visual templates of apologetic and sad faces were seen as apologetic, providing evidence of the prominence of sadness in mental representations of apology. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10919-022-00422-5.

Social decision-making following interpersonal transgressions: Word to the wise.

The primary aim of this research was to test the relation between wisdom and transgression victims' prosocial (forgiving), neutral (inhibiting), and antisocial (unforgiving) post-transgression responses (PTRs) in applied contexts. In addition, this research tested the role of two boundary conditions, transgressors' intent (Study 1 and 2) and transgression frequency (Study 2), in victims' tailoring their PTRs to targeted situations. We predicted that the relation between wisdom and victims' PTRs would vary as a function of these two contextual factors. Specifically, we predicted that wiser victims would respond more prosocially and less antisocially, but they would also tailor their responses to the context to facilitate adaptive responses. Two experiments that varied in design, setting (laboratory vs. online), and nature of transgression (personal vs. extrapersonal) largely supported the hypotheses and systematically replicated the findings. The overall pattern of responses provides empirical evidence for the theorized, but rarely tested, association between wisdom and prosocial responses. Wiser individuals also appeared particularly forgiving toward trivial offenses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Take a moment to apologize: How and why mindfulness affects apologies.

The current research examined whether mindfulness promotes offender apologies. In Study 1, we found a positive relation between trait mindfulness and one's disposition to apologize. In Study 2, we found a positive effect of a mindfulness intervention on state apology for a laboratory-induced transgression. In Study 3, an online mindfulness intervention was found to have a positive effect on apologetic (vs. nonapologetic) behavior for transgressors. In Study 4, we found preliminary support for reduced negative self-focused cognitions and emotions when testing a parallel mediation model. We also found support for negative self-focused, as well as positive other-focused, cognitions and emotions when testing a serial mediational model. Our findings are discussed within broader theoretical questions concerning the psychological factors that promote and prevent apologies and the role of mindfulness in constructive responses to transgressions from the perspective of offenders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sorry, not sorry: The effect of social power on transgressors' apology and nonapology.

The current research investigated the role of transgressors' social power on their motivation to apologize or not. Based on power approach theory (Keltner et al., 2003), we predicted that high-power transgressors would be less motivated to apologize and more motivated to engage in nonapology (e.g., shifting blame, minimizing the transgression) than their low-power counterparts. We further predicted that the relation between social power and apology and nonapology would be explained by transgressors' self-other focus. Four multimethod (nonexperimental, experimental), multisample (community, undergraduate) studies supported our predictions. Results are discussed within the context of the extant social motivation literature and applied implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of social power and apology on victims' posttransgression responses.

The purpose of this research was to test how, why, and when social power influences victims' revenge seeking, grudge holding, and forgiveness. Based on Keltner, Gruenfeld, and Anderson's (2003) power approach theory and McCullough, Kurzban, and Tabak's (2013) theorizing about revenge and forgiveness systems, we tested (a) the associations between victims' social power and revenge, grudge, and forgiveness; (b) the mediational role of approach/inhibition motivation in explaining why the associations exist; and (c) the moderating role of whether the transgressor apologizes or not in explaining the associations. Five studies (Ns = 279, 181, 154, 131, and 81) that varied in sample (undergraduate, community), research method (nonexperimental, experimental), context (laboratory, online), measures (self-reported, behavioral), and statistical method (regression, ANOVA), supported our predictions and the systematic generalizability of the effects. Applied implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Fit to Forgive: Effect of Mode of Exercise on Capacity to Override Grudges and Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is important for repairing relationships that have been damaged by transgressions. In this research we explored the notion that the mode of physical exercise that victims of transgressions engage in and their capacity to override grudges are important in the process of forgiveness. Two exploratory studies that varied in samples (community non-student adults, undergraduate students) and research methods (non-experimental, experimental) were used to test these predictions. Findings showed that, compared to anaerobic or no exercise, aerobic and flexibility exercise facilitated self-control over grudges and forgiveness (Studies 1 and 2), and self-control over grudges explained the relation between exercise and forgiveness (Study 2). Possible mechanisms for future research are discussed.