EXPLORING THE CORRELATIONAL BETWEEN EMOTIONAL REGULATION STRATEGIES AND FORGIVENESS IN ADULTS
Author
MUSKAN KORI , MIS AAKANKSHA SAXENA
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional regulation and forgiveness among adults. A total of 102 participants were included in the study and were selected using a convenience sampling method. The sample consisted of individuals from different age groups and genders. Data were collected using standardized instruments, including the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) developed by Gross and John (2003) and the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) developed by Thompson et al. (2005). Descriptive analysis indicated that participants reported higher use of cognitive reappraisal compared to expressive suppression, suggesting a preference for more adaptive emotional regulation strategies. In terms of forgiveness, moderate to high levels were observed across all domains, including forgiveness of self, others, and situations, with slightly higher scores for forgiveness of situations. The results of correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships among the domains of forgiveness, indicating that forgiveness may function as a general tendency. However, the relationships between emotional regulation and forgiveness were found to be weak, although a small positive correlation was observed between overall emotional regulation and forgiveness. Independent samples t-test analysis showed no significant gender differences in emotional regulation or forgiveness. Overall, the findings suggest that while both emotional regulation and forgiveness are present among adults, the relationship between them is limited. This indicates that forgiveness is a complex construct influenced by multiple psychological and social factors beyond emotional regulation. The implications of the study are discussed in relation to emotional well-being and psychological functioning.
Keywords
EMOTIONAL REGULATION STRATEGIES, FORGIVENESS
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References
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