EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF EMPATHY, RACISM EXPERIENCE, AND FAITH MATURITY ON FORGIVENESS

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between faith maturity and forgiveness in African Americans while controlling for the effects of empathy, the experience of racism, age, and education level. Three hundred thirty five individuals participated in the survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, the Racism and Life Experiences Scale--Brief Version, the Horizontal Faith Relations Scale, and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted and the full model significantly predicted forgiveness. Cognitive and affective empathy, racism experience, and faith maturity were found to be significant individual predictors of forgiveness scores in the final step of the model, with faith maturity predicting significant variance in forgiveness beyond that predicted by age, education, empathy, and racism.