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Self-Forgiveness Within Couple Transgressions

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Handbook of the Psychology of Self-Forgiveness

Abstract

The chapter describes self-forgiveness as a proactive and meaning-focused coping strategy, pointing out the functions of three key factors related to the process: taking responsibility, working through guilt and shame emotions, and the activation of self-compassion. In relation to a couple transgression, self-forgiveness could be depicted as a pro-relationship strategy to cope with the wrongdoing by caring for the couple bond. In particular two self-forgiveness determinants, offenders’ reparative strategies and partner victims’ forgiveness, symbolize the offenders' commitment and trust in the relationship. Finally, the chapther presents a study that investigates the mediational role of self-forgiveness between offending partner self-compassion and offender’s couple well-being.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Standardized indirect effects and tests of significance for them were computed by EQS relying on Sobel’s works (1987).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Sara Pelucchi & Camillo Regalia

  2. Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

    F. Giorgia Paleari

  3. Family Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Frank D. Fincham

Authors
  1. Sara Pelucchi
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  2. Camillo Regalia
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  3. F. Giorgia Paleari
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  4. Frank D. Fincham
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Correspondence to Sara Pelucchi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Lydia Woodyatt

  2. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Everett L. Worthington, Jr.

  3. School of Psychology, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Michael Wenzel

  4. San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA

    Brandon J. Griffin

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Pelucchi, S., Regalia, C., Paleari, F.G., Fincham, F.D. (2017). Self-Forgiveness Within Couple Transgressions. In: Woodyatt, L., Worthington, Jr., E., Wenzel, M., Griffin, B. (eds) Handbook of the Psychology of Self-Forgiveness. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60573-9_9

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