The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms
Apologies serve as crucial tools for relationship repair, promoting reconciliation, and demonstrating accountability. However, beliefs about the morality, effectiveness, and responsibility-signaling nature of apologies may vary across cultures, particularly in contexts shaped by honor norms where ap...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622725000176 |
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| author | Alexander Kirchner-Häusler Ayse K. Uskul Michael J.A. Wohl Vivian L. Vignoles Susan E. Cross Rosa Rodriguez-Bailón Meral Gezici-Yalçın Charles Harb Shenel Husnu Konstantinos Kafetsios Evangelia Kateri Juan Matamoros-Lima Rania Miniesy Jinkyung Na Stefano Pagliaro Charis Psaltis Dina Rabie Manuel Teresi Yukiko Uchida |
| author_facet | Alexander Kirchner-Häusler Ayse K. Uskul Michael J.A. Wohl Vivian L. Vignoles Susan E. Cross Rosa Rodriguez-Bailón Meral Gezici-Yalçın Charles Harb Shenel Husnu Konstantinos Kafetsios Evangelia Kateri Juan Matamoros-Lima Rania Miniesy Jinkyung Na Stefano Pagliaro Charis Psaltis Dina Rabie Manuel Teresi Yukiko Uchida |
| author_sort | Alexander Kirchner-Häusler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Apologies serve as crucial tools for relationship repair, promoting reconciliation, and demonstrating accountability. However, beliefs about the morality, effectiveness, and responsibility-signaling nature of apologies may vary across cultures, particularly in contexts shaped by honor norms where apologies fit central cultural concerns for morality and strength in ambiguous ways. This study investigates the relation between apology beliefs and cultural honor norms across 14 Mediterranean, East Asian, and Anglo-Western samples (N = 5296). We assessed personal and normative beliefs about apologies and their alignment with apology tendencies (willingness to apologize and past offered apologies) as well as intersubjectively rated honor norms. Results revealed that stronger beliefs in the morality and effectiveness of apologies, as well as perceptions of apologies as admissions of responsibility, consistently predicted greater willingness to apologize across regions and past apologies offered. Against our expectations, honor norms moderated only a few of these relations, with significant interactions suggesting weaker links between apology beliefs and apology tendencies at stronger honor norms. Complementary analyses comparing regional categorizations (Anglo-West, East Asia, and MENA) further supported a picture of relative cultural similarities but also highlighted a wider array of relevant apology beliefs in the MENA region as well as a greater focus on personal morality beliefs in Anglo Western societies and personal effectiveness beliefs in East Asian societies. Our findings underscore the universal significance of apology beliefs in fostering reconciliation while also revealing some cultural variability in how personal beliefs and cultural norms may interact in shaping apology-related behaviors across diverse societies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4e607ed3809a46729b290e6f69f88dfc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-6227 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-4e607ed3809a46729b290e6f69f88dfc2025-08-20T03:50:21ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Ecological and Social Psychology2666-62272025-01-01910023010.1016/j.cresp.2025.100230The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor normsAlexander Kirchner-Häusler0Ayse K. Uskul1Michael J.A. Wohl2Vivian L. Vignoles3Susan E. Cross4Rosa Rodriguez-Bailón5Meral Gezici-Yalçın6Charles Harb7Shenel Husnu8Konstantinos Kafetsios9Evangelia Kateri10Juan Matamoros-Lima11Rania Miniesy12Jinkyung Na13Stefano Pagliaro14Charis Psaltis15Dina Rabie16Manuel Teresi17Yukiko Uchida18School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanSchool of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Corresponding author at: School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Pevensey I, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK.Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UKDepartment of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USAMind, Brain and Behaviour Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, SpainInstitute of Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence, University of Bielefeld, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, QatarDepartment of Psychology, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, CyprusDepartment of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Crete, GreeceDepartment of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceMind, Brain and Behaviour Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), Madrid, SpainDepartment of Economics, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, EgyptDepartment of Psychology, Sogang University, Seoul, South KoreaDepartment of Psychology, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, CyprusDepartment of Economics, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt; Faculty of Social Sciences, Northeastern University London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata, Macerata, ItalyInstitute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanApologies serve as crucial tools for relationship repair, promoting reconciliation, and demonstrating accountability. However, beliefs about the morality, effectiveness, and responsibility-signaling nature of apologies may vary across cultures, particularly in contexts shaped by honor norms where apologies fit central cultural concerns for morality and strength in ambiguous ways. This study investigates the relation between apology beliefs and cultural honor norms across 14 Mediterranean, East Asian, and Anglo-Western samples (N = 5296). We assessed personal and normative beliefs about apologies and their alignment with apology tendencies (willingness to apologize and past offered apologies) as well as intersubjectively rated honor norms. Results revealed that stronger beliefs in the morality and effectiveness of apologies, as well as perceptions of apologies as admissions of responsibility, consistently predicted greater willingness to apologize across regions and past apologies offered. Against our expectations, honor norms moderated only a few of these relations, with significant interactions suggesting weaker links between apology beliefs and apology tendencies at stronger honor norms. Complementary analyses comparing regional categorizations (Anglo-West, East Asia, and MENA) further supported a picture of relative cultural similarities but also highlighted a wider array of relevant apology beliefs in the MENA region as well as a greater focus on personal morality beliefs in Anglo Western societies and personal effectiveness beliefs in East Asian societies. Our findings underscore the universal significance of apology beliefs in fostering reconciliation while also revealing some cultural variability in how personal beliefs and cultural norms may interact in shaping apology-related behaviors across diverse societies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622725000176ApologiesBeliefsCultural normsHonorReconciliation |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Kirchner-Häusler Ayse K. Uskul Michael J.A. Wohl Vivian L. Vignoles Susan E. Cross Rosa Rodriguez-Bailón Meral Gezici-Yalçın Charles Harb Shenel Husnu Konstantinos Kafetsios Evangelia Kateri Juan Matamoros-Lima Rania Miniesy Jinkyung Na Stefano Pagliaro Charis Psaltis Dina Rabie Manuel Teresi Yukiko Uchida The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology Apologies Beliefs Cultural norms Honor Reconciliation |
| title | The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| title_full | The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| title_fullStr | The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| title_short | The role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| title_sort | role of apology beliefs for apology tendencies across cultures with varying honor norms |
| topic | Apologies Beliefs Cultural norms Honor Reconciliation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622725000176 |
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