Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Settings

This chapter summarizes the main findings from a set of studies examining people’s willingness to forgive or reconcile after a conflict. These studies were conducted in post-civil war Lebanon, post-apartheid South Africa (and Togo), former Yugoslavia after the NATO bombing, the United States after the September 11 attacks, Northern Ireland after the bloody Sunday agreement, post-genocide Rwanda (and Cambodia), Israel and Palestine, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, Latin America (Chile and Colombia), and three Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Italy, and Spain). Considerable differences exist among the members of these groups regarding their willingness to forgive or to reconcile with former opponents, whether individuals or groups. Group differences can be partly linked to participants’ previous personal experiences of suffering, the severity of the offense, the time elapsed since the events, the ongoing character of the disputes, and public decisions taken by offenders (e.g., seeking forgiveness). Individual differences can be related to personality factors such as empathy and perspective-taking, forgivingness or resentfulness, and the ability to relate with out-group members. They may also be associated with personal philosophical positions regarding the way people should live in society.