Association between self-distancing and reflection on negative experiences: An examination including forgiveness and holistic thought

Abstract

Self-distancing refers to the process of stepping back from one’s experiences to gain psychological distance. Previous research has suggested that self-distancing is associated with adaptive reflection on negative experiences and serves as an effective emotion regulation strategy. This study explores the relationship between self-distancing and reflection on negative experiences among Japanese individuals, including holistic thought and interpersonal relationship adjustments, such as forgiveness. The findings indicated that, regardless of self-distancing manipulation, individuals who reported engaging in higher levels of self-distancing were more likely to reflect adaptively and experienced reduced anger-related emotions following their reflection. However, self-reported self-distancing was not significantly associated with maladaptive reflection, holistic thought (specifically, as measured by a bird’s-eye perspective drawing), or the degree of forgiveness toward others.