Moral Elevation and Interpersonal Forgiveness: The Mediating Role of Empathy

The aim of the present research is to examine whether moral elevation (i.e., a self-transcendent emotion elicited by witnessing acts of moral virtue) functions as an antecedent of interpersonal forgiveness and whether empathy mediates this association. This hypothesis was tested across four studies. Study 1 showed that chronic moral elevation is related to trait interpersonal forgiveness beyond personality and attributional factors. Study 2 experimentally demonstrated that state moral elevation increases forgiveness toward personally recalled transgressors. Study 3 conceptually replicated this effect using a vivid real-world moral act and indicated that empathy mediates the link between elevation and forgiveness. Study 4 extended these findings using standardized hypothetical transgressions, supporting the mediation model. Together, the results indicate that moral elevation fosters empathy toward the transgressor, facilitating forgiveness and underscoring the role of self-transcendent emotions in promoting relational repair.