Forgiveness and the psychology of peace

In the past decade, intense intrastate and international conflict has increased empirical interest in the study of intergroup forgiveness. In the present chapter, we summarize the role of intergroup forgiveness in the societal peace process with a focus on intergroup conflicts. Incorporating previous theorizing, we report findings from a recent meta-analysis of the correlates of intergroup forgiveness, which examined results from 80 samples and over 29,000 participants (Burnette, Van Tongeren, O'Boyle, Worthington, and Forsyth, 2011). Drawing from intergroup theoretical perspectives and extending existing interpersonal forgiveness literature, we highlight the strongest correlates of intergroup forgiveness (i.e., collective guilt, socioeconomic status, trust of out-group, and empathy). We conclude with a research agenda calling for future work to (a) elaborate on theoretically driven predictors and (b) put theory into practice by considering ways to promote peace through encouraging intergroup forgiveness.