Why Do People With Self-Control Forgive Others Easily? The Role of Rumination and Anger

Previous research shows that self-control predicts forgiveness, but few studies have investigated the internal mechanism of this link. The current study explored the effects of rumination and anger on the relationship between self-control and forgiveness. A total of 580 college students recruited fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fanchang Kong, Haibo Zhang, Haishuo Xia, Bo Huang, Jingkuan Qin, Yan Zhang, Xiaojun Sun, Zongkui Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00129/full
Description
Summary:Previous research shows that self-control predicts forgiveness, but few studies have investigated the internal mechanism of this link. The current study explored the effects of rumination and anger on the relationship between self-control and forgiveness. A total of 580 college students recruited from three universities in Wuhan completed the self-control, rumination, anger, and trait forgiveness scales. Results showed that self-control was positively correlated with forgiveness (r = 0.34, p < 0.001). Rumination (β = 0.08, p < 0.05) and anger (β = 0.13, p < 0.05) mediate the relationship between self-control and forgiveness. Moreover, a serial mediation effect of rumination and anger was observed between self-control and trait forgiveness (β = 0.02, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that self-control may impair individuals’ rumination. Moreover, less rumination may restrain anger and consequently increase forgiveness.
ISSN:1664-1078