Look beyond the hurt: Forgiving interpersonal injury through grateful processing and forgoing other-blame

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the forgiveness process involving interpersonal hurt using the framework of the coping model, to find out what coping process engaged in the initial period after the transgression would most likely lead to the intention to forgive ultimately, and to examine the moderating role of personality factors like gratitude on the choice of coping strategies during the process. Methods: Participants (N = 82) were instructed to fill out a questionnaire which measured their trait gratitude level, offense severity, use of cognitive coping strategies to deal with the offense, and forgiveness level. Results: Offense Severity predicted the will to forgive. Other-blame fully mediated the relationship between offense severity and forgiveness. Rumination was more likely to be engaged when the transgression was severer whilst the use of positive reappraisal encouraged forgiveness. Gratitude significantly moderated the impact of offense severity on the use of positive appraisal. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the forgiveness process could be intervened by cognitive coping strategies. The conscious effort to reappraise an offense/offender positively and a grateful outlook at life help people forgive the transgressors. All rights reserved.