Abstract
Based on a comprehensive definition of forgiveness, we defined forgiveness as involving both anger, as an emotional aspect, and the perception of threats, a cognitive aspect that has been under-researched. We assumed that the perception of threats associated with harm could be classified into three categories: the interpersonal threat of the perpetrator, the threat of a harmful situation, and threat of beliefs in a just world. Furthermore, we assumed that forgiveness would be more likely to occur when the likelihood of harm recurrence was low. Hence, this study examined whether the low likelihood of harm recurrence, through the appraisal of the perpetrator and physical circumstances, would mitigate anger and each perceived threat. Participants were 132 Japanese university students who responded to a questionnaire on anger and each threat after they read a scenario. Results indicated that the likelihood of harm recurrence, as assessed through the appraisal of both the perpetrator and physical circumstances, mitigated anger, reflecting the emotional aspect of forgiveness. A factor analysis revealed that the cognitive aspect comprised the threat of harm, which included the threat of both interpersonal and circumstance as one, and threat of beliefs in a just world. The results demonstrated that perceptions of the threat of harm were mitigated by decreasing the likelihood of harm through the appraisal of both the perpetrator and physical circumstances. Conversely, perceived threats to beliefs in a just world were only mitigated by decreasing the likelihood of harm through the appraisal of the perpetrator, not physical circumstances. These findings suggest that the perception of threats related to future risks is a crucial cognitive aspect of forgiveness.
