Beneda, M., Witkowska, M., Khachatryan, N., Grigoryan, N., & Bilewicz, M.
Change in perceived outgroup morality increases forgiveness in post-genocide settings — Study of the moral exemplars
In the aftermath of violent conflicts, victim groups tend to perceive perpetrator group members as homogeneously immoral, which may hinder intergroup forgiveness. In the present paper, we examine whether exposure to narratives about historical moral exemplars could alter perceived morality of the former perpetrator group and, as an effect, increase willingness to forgive. In the pilot study, an exposure to stories about moral behavior of perpetrator group members led to an increase of perceived morality of their descendants. Two studies performed in the post-genocide context of Armenian-Turkish relations showed that this change in perceived outgroup morality following an exposure to moral exemplars manipulation resulted in greater willingness to forgive the perpetrator group for past misdeeds. These effects were observed only when moral exemplars were presented as typical of the outgroup and they cannot be explained by inducing a general positive view of intergroup relations.
Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 2018, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 193-212, DOI: 10.4473/TPM25.2.3
