Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2008

Publication Source

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Volume Number

44

Issue Number

1

First Page

10

Last Page

25

ISSN

0022-1031

Comments

The final published version can be accessed via ScienceDirect at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2007.01.009

Abstract

This experiment assessed the emotional self-reports and physiology of justice outcomes and forgiveness responses to a common crime, using a three Justice (retributive, restorative, no justice) × 2 Forgiveness (forgiveness, none) repeated-measures design. Participants (27 males, 29 females) imagined their residence was burglarized, followed by six counterbalanced justice–forgiveness outcomes. Imagery of justice—especially restorative—and forgiveness each reduced unforgiving motivations and negative emotion (anger, fear), and increased prosocial and positive emotion (empathy, gratitude). Imagery of granting forgiveness (versus not) was associated with less heart rate reactivity and better recovery; less negative emotion expression at the brow (corrugator EMG); and less aroused expression at the eye (lower orbicularis oculiEMG when justice was absent). When forgiveness was not imagined, justice-physiology effects emerged: signs of cardiovascular stress (rate pressure products) were lower for retributive versus no justice; and sympathetic nervous system responding (skin conductance) was calmer for restorative versus retributive justice.

Keywords

Retributive justice, Restorative justice, Forgiveness, Emotion, Physiology, Stress

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Psychology Commons

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