Forgiveness in Younger, Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Age and Gender Matters

Abstract

The present study investigated age and gender differences in forgiveness of real-life transgressions. Emerging and young, middle-aged, and older adults recalled the most recent and serious interpersonal transgression and then completed the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory (TRIM-18), which measured their avoidance, revenge, and benevolence motivation toward an offender and indicated to what extent they are generally concerned with the subject of forgiveness. The results revealed a trend among middle-aged adults to express more avoidance than younger adults. Moreover, young men had a greater motivation to seek revenge than middle-aged and older men. No such age differences were apparent for women. Additionally, forgiveness was a more manifest subject in everyday life for middle-aged adults and women. These findings emphasize the importance of age and gender when investigating forgiveness.

Forgiveness and Health

“…Sixth, the majority of the research found in the current review involved samples from the United States with the exception of Rangganadhan and Todorov (2010) and Ghaemmaghami et al (2011). Although past meta-analytic research did not find culture as a significant moderator in the sex and forgiveness literature (e.g., , cultural variables still may be important in the sex, forgiveness, and health relationship.…”

“…Ghaemmaghami, Allemand, and Martin (2011) examined state forgiveness across various age groups. Furthermore, variables such as transgression and age may be moderators of the sex effect in the forgiveness-health relationship.…”

“…Sex Differences in Vengeance Generally, as people age, they become more willing to forgive, less vengeful, and report fewer angry memories (Ghaemmaghami et al, 2011). Therefore, if people wish to reap health benefits through forgiving, they would be well advised to seek forgiveness interventions in early and middle adulthood to prevent health problems later in adulthood.…”

Marital Forgiveness: An Explanation Based on Human Values

“…Nevertheless, some authors (Allemand, 2008;Ghaemmaghami, Allemand, & Martin, 2011;Steiner, Allemand, & McCullough, 2012) indicate that older people tend to have a greater ability to forgive than do younger people, contradicting hypothesis 5. This can be a result of older individuals' greater experience with interpersonal problems and transgressions over the course of their lives , leading people with more experience to concentrate on more signifi cant emotional aspects, such as the maintenance of relationships, allowing them to grant their offender forgiveness more easily (Lang & Carstensen, 2002).…”

Perdão conjugal: uma explicação a partir dos valores humanos

“…Não obstante, alguns autores (Allemand, 2008;Ghaemmaghami, Allemand, & Martin, 2011;Steiner, Allemand, & McCullough, 2012) pontuam que pessoas mais velhas tendem a apresentar uma maior habilidade de conceder o perdão do que aquelas mais jovens, contrapondo-se a hipótese 5. Isso aconteceria em decorrência das vivências, em maior número, de problemas interpessoais e transgressões ao longo da vida , levando as pessoas com mais experiência a direcionarem sua atenção a aspectos emocionais mais signifi cativos, como a manutenção de relacionamentos, concedendo assim, com maior facilidade o perdão ao seu ofensor (Lang & Carstensen, 2002).…”