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It takes more to forgive: The role of executive control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2012

Johan C. Karremans
Affiliation:
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. [email protected]://www.ru.nl/socialpsychology/faculty/dr_johan_karremans/[email protected]://www.ru.nl/socialpsychology/phd-students/reine-van-der-wal/
Reine C. van der Wal
Affiliation:
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. [email protected]://www.ru.nl/socialpsychology/faculty/dr_johan_karremans/[email protected]://www.ru.nl/socialpsychology/phd-students/reine-van-der-wal/

Abstract

The target article's evolutionary approach provides an excellent framework for understanding when and why people retaliate or forgive. We argue that recent findings on the basic processes in forgiveness – particularly, the role of executive control – can further refine the authors' proposed model. Specifically, the lack of executive control may restrict the explanatory power of relationship value and exploitation risk.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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