Traumatised youth harbour feelings of revenge: investigating the association between PTSD symptomatology, vengeance, and willingness to forgive among the Congolese adolescent refugees in Uganda.

Background: Prolonged conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have caused widespread psychological trauma among civilians leading to maladaptive coping strategies across generations. Despite this occurrence, empirical studies on the prevalence of trauma and its impact on attitudes towards revenge and forgiveness, particularly among the youth, are scarce. This study aims to clarify the relationship between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and the desires for forgiveness and revenge among Congolese adolescents residing in Uganda.Methods: We analysed data from 269 adolescent refugees from the DRC living in the Nakivale refugee settlement in Southwestern Uganda. The assessment included exposure to war-related traumatic events and the MINI-KID for DSM-V PTSD symptom severity. The Heartland Forgiveness and Vengeance Scales measured willingness to forgive and feelings of vengeance.Results: Exposure to war-related traumatic events was notably high in our sample, with severe deprivation of food (260 [97%]), exposure to armed combat (249 [93%]), witnessing bombing, burning, or destruction of houses (245 [91%]), disappearance of family members (239 [89%]), and seeing dead bodies (236 [88%]). PTSD symptom severity was negatively associated with willingness to forgive (b = -0.48; 95% CI -0.71--0.25; p < .001) and positively associated with vengeance (b = 0.18; 95% CI 0.04-0.32; p = .011).Conclusion: PTSD symptom severity reduces the willingness to forgive and increases the desire for vengeance among adolescent refugees. Mental health clinicians and policymakers should consider addressing maladaptive coping behaviours related to feelings of revenge and unwillingness to forgive in their support strategies for refugees.

Children and adoscent refugees experience different traumatic events.PTSD symptomatology is positively associated with feelings of vengeance.PTSD symptoms severity negatively correlates with willingness to forgive.

Assessment of forgiveness in couple relationships: Adaptation of the Marital Offense-Specific Forgiveness Scale (MOFS) to a Spanish sample.

Forgiveness plays an important role in couple relationships, as it is essential in overcoming interpersonal offenses and related to the well-being of the relationship. To date, no valid instruments are available for Spanish populations to evaluate forgiveness within marital relationships. This study aims to adapt and evaluate the Marital Offense-Specific Forgiveness Scale (MOFS), comparing the behavior of the scale in two cultural contexts: Spain and the United States. Two studies were conducted: the first with 389 participants to evaluate the behavior of the scale and to explore the dimensionality of the Spanish version of the MOFS using exploratory factor analysis (EFA); the second study used a sample of 361 Spanish and 119 American participants, conducting a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an invariance factor analysis. The EFA revealed two factors: Avoidance-Resentment and Benevolence. Using CFA, the factorial structure of the MOFS was confirmed, with results indicating that the proposed model presents a similar fit to the original version.

The impact of brand authenticity on brand attachment, brand loyalty, willingness to pay more, and forgiveness - For Chinese consumers of Korean cosmetic brands.

Despite the corona-virus pandemic, Korean cosmetics maintain brand attachment in the Chinese market. This study identifies critical influencing and outcome factors of brand attachment within this consumer phenomenon. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between Chinese consumers' perceived brand authenticity and brand attachment, brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness. To this end, it uses AMOS 21.0 to analyze data collected through a questionnaire, testing the research model. The study reveals several key findings. Firstly, it assesses brand authenticity based on the following five sub-factors: consistency, naturalness, originality, advertisement truthfulness, and reliability. According to the assessment results, originality shows the most significant impact, followed by reliability, consistency, and naturalness. Furthermore, brand attachment significantly enhances brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness toward the brand. Higher levels of brand attachment lead to increased brand loyalty. In addition, greater brand attachment correlates with consumers' increased willingness to pay more for products and greater forgiveness towards the brand.

In Coping with Intimate Partner Violence, Women's Beliefs About Forgiveness Matter.

Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) often feel pressured to forgive their abusers and remain in dangerous relationships. However, forgiveness does not have to include reconciliation and it may be conceptualized in different ways. This quantitative study surveyed 110 women who experienced IPV from men and separated from their abusers. It then examined (a) the prevalence of 20 different beliefs about forgiveness and (b) the relationship between those beliefs, the women's self-reported practices of forgiveness, and the women's intent to return to their abusers. The study asked whether different beliefs about forgiveness were-in combination with different levels of forgiveness-associated with intent to return to abusers. It found that women's beliefs about forgiveness varied widely, but only 4.6% of the women believed that forgiveness involved reconciliation. In contrast, 80% of the women believed it was simultaneously possible to forgive and to avoid the men who hurt them. When interaction analyses were conducted, significant interactions were found between three beliefs and women's self-reported practices of forgiveness. For two beliefs, the interactions were positively associated with intent to return to abusers (i.e., a belief that forgiveness involves reconciliation, and a belief that forgiveness involves treating a person better than before). For one belief, the interaction was negatively associated with intent to return (i.e., the belief that it is possible both to forgive and to avoid a person). Results suggest that women's beliefs about forgiveness matter. Women are more likely to return to abusers if they believe forgiveness involves reconciliation or treating their abusers better than before. They are less likely to return, if they believe it is possible to forgive their abusers and still avoid them. Interventions targeting women's beliefs about forgiveness may increase their safety.

Predictors of forgiveness in cancer patients after treatment.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of forgiveness in the context of emotional experience and existential aspects of the life of cancer patients after treatment. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: One hundred and twenty-eight cancer patients aged 22-83 years completed methods administered to measure forgiveness (Heartland Forgiveness Scale), hope (Adult Dispositional Hope Scale), positive and negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and gratitude (Gratitude Questionnaire GQ-6) and questions measuring the perceived importance of the spiritual aspect of life and the practice of religious faith. RESULTS: Levels of forgiveness were related to levels of hope, gratitude, positive and negative affect, depression, anxiety, and rating of the importance of the spiritual aspect of life. Using a regression model, the rate of forgiveness was significantly predicted by gratitude and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that gratitude and anxiety could explain 35.4% of the variance in forgiveness.

Validity and Reliability of the Farsi Version of the Heartland Forgiveness Scale in Iranian Cardiovascular Patients.

Background and Purpose: A Farsi version of the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS-F) for assessing forgiveness in Iranian cardiovascular patients was not available. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Farsi version of HFS in this population. Methods: In this methodological cross-sectional research design, 400 Iranian cardiovascular patients completed the HFS-F between October 2019 and January 2020. We assessed the characteristics, content, and both exploratory and confirmatory construct validity of the measures. To evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the HFS-F, we calculated Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. Results: Three factors were identified following confirmatory and deterministic factor analyses. The extracted factors demonstrated satisfactory reliability, exceeding a threshold of 0.7. Conclusions: The HFS-F exhibited a robust level of validity and reliability, rendering it a suitable instrument for future research endeavors.

Forgiveness and Religiosity Among Nurses: A Correlational Descriptive Study.

The purpose of the study was to explore how nurses' religious beliefs affect their ability to forgive themselves and others. Design: A descriptive correlational mixed methods approach was employed. Methods: The data were collected using an online survey via Qualtrics using three validated tools Enright Forgiveness Inventory - 30 (to measure forgiveness of others), Enright Self-Forgiveness Inventory (to measure forgiveness of self), and Duke University Religious Index (to measure religiosity). Findings: As hypothesized, there was a meaningful relationship between forgiveness of others and intrinsic religiosity. Nurses with intrinsic religiosity or internal beliefs of a higher being showed a higher level of forgiveness toward their offender. The nurse forgiving the offender chose to replace negative, hurtful feelings with positive emotions such as compassion and love. Conclusion: Stressed nurses become distracted, may miss effective job performance, and patient care may suffer. Emotional and spiritual health and better patient outcomes can be attributed to the nurse forgiving others and the self. Nurses must be self-aware to develop forgiveness strategies for their well-being and provide effective care. Faculty should teach "person-centered" care and educate students to forgive others and themselves for effective patient care.

Interpersonal and individual effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic heart meditation intervention in healthy adults: protocol of a stratified randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The academic development and widespread adoption of meditation practices for well-being and therapy have predominantly focused on secularised adaptations of Buddhist and Hindu techniques. This study aims to expand the field by investigating Christian and Islamic meditation that emphasize the spiritual significance of the heart through elements of visualisation and recitation. It compares the effects of spiritual heart-centred meditation with mindfulness meditation and a waitlist control, focusing on dimensions of social functioning, psychophysiology, cognition, and mental health. METHOD: This study employs a stratified 3-arm randomised controlled method with mixed-method repeated measures across three assessment time points: before intervention (T1), after an 8-week intervention (T2), and at a 3-month follow up (T3). The three conditions include spiritual meditation (either Christian or Islamic), mindfulness meditation (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction - MBSR), and a waitlist. Participants will be stratified into Christian and Muslim samples and randomly allocated to the spiritual meditation, MBSR, or waitlist control conditions. Importantly, participants assigned to the spiritual meditation condition will be matched to the spiritual meditation program corresponding to their religion. The intervention will be administered through a mobile phone app with daily 20-minute guided meditation sessions for eight weeks. Primary outcomes pertain to the domain of interpersonal functioning, focusing on prosociality, forgiveness, empathy, and perspective taking. Secondary outcomes include physiology: pain tolerance, pain intensity, stress reactivity assessed via heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), psychophysiological reactivity associated with a forgiveness task as measured through HR and HRV, attention (alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks), and mental health (stress, depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, positive and negative affect). DISCUSSION: This trial aims to test the effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic meditation, compared to secular mindfulness and a waitlist, using a randomised controlled trial. If the results yield positive outcomes, this study will support the efficacy of these contemplations, offering practitioners a way to enhance their well-being within their religious framework. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06136676. Registered on 18 November 2023. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06136676 .

Profiles of well-being and their associations with self-forgiveness, forgiveness of others, and gratitude among patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) often experience poor well-being. Common limitations of the studies on this topic involve using variable-centred and deficit-based approaches. In this study, we used the person-centred approach to identify profiles of positive (life satisfaction and health status) and negative (depression, anxiety, fatigue, and stress) indicators of well-being among patients with RMDs. Moreover, we tested self-forgiveness, forgiveness of others, gratitude, and sociodemographics as contributors to latent profile membership. DESIGN: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. METHODS: Using a latent profile analysis, we investigated well-being profiles among 892 patients with RMDs (759 patients with arthritis and 133 with fibromyalgia [FM]) and examined the correlates of latent profile membership. RESULTS: We identified four profiles of well-being: (1) 'life dissatisfaction' (9.2%), (2) 'high well-being' (43.4%), (3) 'suboptimal well-being' (35.2%), and (4) 'very poor well-being' (12.2%). Members of Profile 2 had higher levels of self-forgiveness and gratitude than members of the remaining profiles, had higher levels of forgiveness of others than Profile 3, and were older than members of Profile 4. Moreover, members of Profile 2 had a higher proportion of patients with arthritis relative to those with FM than all other profiles and men to women than Profile 4. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with RMDs are heterogeneous in terms of well-being. Self-forgiveness, gratitude, and forgiveness of others may serve as psychological capital that enhances patients' well-being. Special attention should be paid to patients with FM, women, and younger patients since they can be especially susceptible to poor well-being.

Understanding of the functions of forgiveness among preschoolers.

Forgiveness plays an important role in restoring and maintaining cooperative relationships. Previous studies have demonstrated that young children could forgive transgressors both as a third party and as a victim. However, the research on young children's understanding of forgiveness is scant. This study focused on the two main functions of forgiveness-the restoration of a damaged relationship between the victim and the transgressor and the positive emotional change in the victim toward the transgressor. In this study, 48 4-year-olds (25 girls), 50 5-year-olds (21 girls), and 50 6-year-olds (21 girls) in Japan heard stories in which a victim either did or did not forgive a transgressor. They answered questions about the relationship between the victim and the transgressor and the victim's feelings toward the transgressor. Regarding the restoration of a damaged relationship, 4- to 6-year-olds understood that the restoration could occur in the presence of forgiveness. Yet, 6-year-olds showed more distinctive belief than 4- and 5-year-olds that the damaged relationship remains unrestored without forgiveness from the victim. For emotional changes, 6-year-olds understood that the forgiving victim would experience positive emotional changes, whereas the unforgiving victim would not. However, 4- and 5-year-olds expected positive emotional changes even without forgiveness, although they anticipated greater changes after forgiveness. The results show that the understanding of the important functions of forgiveness is present at 4 years of age and matures by 6 years of age. Children may develop a sophisticated understanding of the functions of forgiveness later than the actual forgiving behavior.

Beyond HIV Shame: Effects of Self-Forgiveness in Improving Mental Health in HIV-Positive Individuals in Poland.

Guided by the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual approach, this randomized controlled trial assessed the efficacy of a self-forgiveness intervention among 60 HIV-positive individuals in Poland. Participants underwent a 90-min "Restore: The Journey Toward Self-Forgiveness" session, in contrast to a wait-list control group. The intervention significantly enhanced self-forgiveness, spirituality, mental well-being, and heart rate variability in response to a cognitive stressor (i.e., a mental arithmetic challenge). Significant effects were observed in both between-group and within-subject comparisons. These results support the incorporation of self-forgiveness into psychological rehabilitation programs for HIV to improve quality of life and health outcomes.

Emphatic Memories and Their Meaning in Societal and Legal Contexts: A Narrative Review and Position Paper.

BACKGROUND: Many past and ongoing conflicts in the world are associated with memories. The role of emphatic memories is however often neglected in conflict solving. Therefore, this narrative review gives a short introduction to the phenomenon of emphatic memories and implications for counteracting dysfunctional effects of emphatic memories. SUMMARY: Memory has two connotations. One is remembering and knowing (I can remember when I got married) and on the other is reminding and emphasizing memories (I remind my partner of our wedding day). Memories are less a report on the past but result of current emotions and motives. Emphatic memories serve for self-portrayal and distinction from others, self-exculpation, accusation of others, justification of claims. They are regularly reproachful, have an aggressive character, and are distorted and pseudologic. This is also true on a societal level, as memories are used for defining social groups, and by this for political purposes, in order to juxtapose one group against the other. If memories are revoked, they are regularly accompanied with the very emotions, which were associated with the past event. Corresponding behavior is motivated. Many people suffer from memories and associated emotions and dysfunctional behavior, as is well described in the context of post-traumatic stress disorders. Also, social groups can as a whole suffer from negative emotions because of memories, which may go back up to thousand years. To ensure that memories do not adversely affect individuals and social groups, they should best be forgotten, or at least rescripted, in a way that they are disentangled from negative emotions and motives. An important psychological process in this regard is wisdom and forgiveness, which must not be confused with understanding, justification, tolerating, or reconciliation. Wisdom and forgiveness allow persons to close the books, act self-determined, find freedom from external events, and end suffering because of the past. It is a rational and emotional act. KEY MESSAGES: Emphatic memories can cause that individuals and groups do not find peace and persistently provoke new conflicts. Internal and interactional peace can be found if memories are let alone and fade away. Forgiveness and wisdom describe avenues to let dysfunctional memories go.

Fostering emotional well-being in adolescents: the role of physical activity, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal forgiveness.

Introduction: Adolescence is considered a stress-sensitive developmental period, and the escalating and sustained pressure during this phase poses a significant threat to the mental and physical well-being of adolescents. Therefore, enhancing positive emotions in adolescents is crucial. This study aims to investigate the impact of physical activity on the emotional intelligence, interpersonal forgiveness, and positive emotions of adolescents. Methods: Using a cluster sampling method, data were collected from 500 adolescents in four schools across the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, China. A total of 428 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The study employed AMOS v.23 to construct a structural equation model to validate the hypotheses. Results: The results indicate that physical activity significantly influences the emotional intelligence, interpersonal forgiveness, and positive emotions of adolescents. Furthermore, emotional intelligence and interpersonal forgiveness mediate the relationship between physical activity and positive emotions. Discussion: Based on these findings, collaborative efforts from government agencies, schools, and families are essential to provide robust support for adolescents' participation in physical activity, encouraging more adolescents to actively engage in sports.

Examining the Past Injustices Suffered by Those in Corrections and the General Public: A New Therapeutic Approach May Be Necessary.

One under-researched area within corrections is the connection among (a) past adverse events, particularly in the form of injustices against those who now are incarcerated, (b) crimes committed and then (c) healing from the effects of that past adversity of injustice. Might those who have experienced severe injustices against them develop an anger or a hatred that then is displaced onto others, leading to arrest, conviction and imprisonment? This is not to imply that societies condone illegal behaviour but instead to assist in the healing from the adversity so that future crime is reduced. As a first step in this sequence, the study here examined in detail the kinds of injustices suffered by men in a maximum-security correctional institution (N = 103) compared with men in a medium-security environment (N = 37) and in the general public (N = 96). Findings indicated differences between those in the general public and those in the two correctional contexts. The latter two groups had (a) a higher severity of injustices against them (rated by a panel of researchers), (b) a more negative current impact that past injustices are having on them (also rated by a panel of researchers), (c) more reports that the injustices contributed to their choices to harm others, (d) more serious types of hurt (such as sexual abuse), (e) a stronger degree of self-reported hurt and (f) more injustices from family members. Implications for correctional rehabilitation to reduce the negative psychological effects caused by the injustices of others are discussed.

Religion and Satisfaction with Life in Polish Seniors: Mediation by Forgiveness and Hope.

This study examined the mediating role of forgiveness and hope in the relationship between religiousness and satisfaction with life in late adults in Poland. Participants were 237 people (165 females and 72 males) aged between 60 and 92. The mean age of the sample was 68.37 years (SD = 6.92), and the most represented religious affiliation was Roman Catholic (98.3%). Satisfaction with life is related to the centrality of religiousness. In the surveyed seniors, hope and tendency to forgive mediated the relationship between the centrality of religiousness and satisfaction with life.

Self-Forgiveness and Gratitude in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders.

Substance use is a multifaceted disorder of the whole person that is manifested on three levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and spiritual. Previous research has demonstrated that self-forgiveness and gratitude help build personal and social resources and reinforce the process of recovery from substance use disorders. The aims of the present narrative review article were to (a) explore self-forgiveness and gratitude as psychological mechanisms of behavioral change in recovery through the lens of positive criminology and recovery capital approach, (b) review the practice of self-forgiveness and gratitude in the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) programs, and (c) present a conceptual model of self-forgiveness and gratitude in long-term recovery. Self-forgiveness and gratitude have been described as positive emotions and prosocial, empathy-based moral virtues that enhance well-being and health by reinforcing the establishment and maintenance of long-lasting positive relationships with self, others, and spirituality. This effect may occur through different levels and psychological mechanisms. This article contributes to the field by presenting the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and spiritual benefits associated with self-forgiveness and gratitude interventions that can initiate and sustain long-term recovery.

Self-Compassion and Self-Forgiveness in Alcohol Risk, Treatment and Recovery: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Self-compassion and self-forgiveness are two self-focused, positive coping approaches that may reduce risk of problem drinking and/or aid in treatment/recovery from alcohol use disorder. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate support for the unique and complementary roles of self-compassion and self-forgiveness in alcohol outcomes. METHODS: A systematic literature search yielded 18 studies examining self-compassion, 18 studies examining self-forgiveness and 1 study examining both constructs in alcohol outcomes. RESULTS: Findings suggest greater self-compassion and self-forgiveness relate to lower likelihood of problem drinking. Self-forgiveness was considerably more researched in treatment/recovery outcomes than self-compassion; self-forgiveness-based interventions appear able to improve drinking-adjacent outcomes, and self-forgiveness may increase across various alcohol treatments. Finally, research suggests that associations of self-compassion and/or self-forgiveness with alcohol outcomes could be driven by numerous factors, including coping-motivated drinking, depression, psychache, social support perceptions, mental health status and/or psychiatric distress. CONCLUSIONS: Self-compassion and self-forgiveness both appear protective against harmful alcohol outcomes. Nevertheless, many questions remain about the role of self-forgiveness and, particularly, self-compassion in alcohol treatment and recovery outcomes. Future research should examine whether targeted interventions and/or adjunctive therapeutic supports designed to increase self-compassion or self-forgiveness can reduce alcohol use disorder symptoms to facilitate alcohol treatment and recovery success.

Rumination and Forgiveness in Emerging Adults: Mediating Role of Mindfulness and Humility.

The objective of this study was to examine whether mindfulness and humility mediate the influence of rumination on forgiveness among emerging adults. The sample consisted of 392 individuals in the emerging adulthood stage, residing in Türkiye, with 69.10% females and 30.90% males, aged between 18 and 25 years (M = 20.19, SD = 1.77). Data were collected through a demographic information form and four self-report scales. In addition to descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and bootstrap analysis were employed for data analysis. According to the study's findings, it can be inferred that ruminative thoughts among emerging adults hinder their ability to forgive. Furthermore, the study revealed that mindfulness and humility serve as mediators in the relationship between ruminative thoughts and forgiveness in emerging adults. In this context, it can be concluded that leveraging the positive effects of mindfulness and humility can mitigate the adverse impact of rumination on forgiveness among emerging adults, thus enhancing their inclination towards forgiveness.

Properties of the modified self-forgiveness dual-process scale in populations at risk for moral injury.

Despite theory suggesting that self-forgiveness facilitates recovery from moral injury, no measure of self-forgiveness has been validated with individuals exposed to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). Military veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders who reported PMIE exposure (n = 924) completed the Self-Forgiveness Dual-Process Scale, which assesses two dimensions of the self-forgiveness process. The first dimension, value affirmation, refers to appraising personal responsibility and being willing to make amends for one's involvement in a PMIE. The second dimension, esteem restoration, refers to accepting oneself as valuable and capable of growth despite one's failures and imperfections. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses replicated the original scale's two-factor structure in 10 items modified to apply to the diverse contexts in which PMIEs occur. Next, we found that the factor structure, item loadings, and item intercepts were fully or partially invariant across professions, genders, races, ages, and religious affiliations in a series of Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analyses. Finally, diverging patterns of associations between value affirmation and esteem restoration with moral distress, posttraumatic stress, depression, insomnia, functional impairment, and posttraumatic growth provide evidence of convergent and discriminant validity between the subscales. The modified self-forgiveness dual process scale is the first measure of self-forgiveness to be validated with individuals exposed to a PMIE. Researchers and clinicians can use the scale to examine how self-forgiveness (or difficulties with forgiving oneself) relates to moral injury.

Filial beliefs reduce aggression in different cultures: A conditional process model.

The dual filial piety model divides filial piety beliefs into two types: reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety beliefs (RFP vs. AFP) in terms of attitude, emotion, and obligation towards parents. Previous studies have shown that these two types of filial piety beliefs related to different psychological outcomes. Literature also suggests that some aspects of the function of filial piety beliefs may be a cultural universal. This research aimed to test the effects of filial piety beliefs on aggression using participants from two cultures (Chinese vs. Islamic). We further explored the mediating role of moral disengagement, forgiveness, and self-control between filial piety beliefs and aggression, and the moderating role of culture. The results showed that moral disengagement, forgiveness, and self-control played mediating roles in the relationship between filial piety beliefs and aggression. The functions of filial piety beliefs showed both similarities and differences across cultures. (1) RFP was negatively associated with aggression in both cultures, while AFP was negatively associated with aggression only among Muslim participants. (2) RFP can reduce the aggression of Chinese participants through moral disengagement, forgiveness, and self-control; while the RFP of Muslim participants can reduce their aggressiveness only through forgiveness. (3) AFP enhanced aggression via moral disengagement and reduced self-control among; Chinese participants, but reduced aggression via self-control among Muslim participants. Findings of this study confirmed that the functions of RFP show more similarities than differences across cultures, while functions of AFP do the opposite.