Differentiation-based models of forgivingness, mental health and social justice commitment: Mediator effects for differentiation of self and humility

Abstract

The present study tested theoretical models of the forgivingness – well-being association with depression symptoms and social justice commitment as outcome measures and with differentiation of self (DoS) and dispositional humility as mediators. In doing so, we addressed the need to explicitly frame the study of virtues in a relational view of the self and extended the research on forgivingness and humility that moves beyond a focus on personal benefit and attends to the ways in which virtues also benefit other persons. The sample consisted of 213 graduate students from a religiously-affiliated university who completed a questionnaire of self-report measures. Results supported the proposed models as significant specific indirect effects were observed through DoS and humility. The findings support a self-regulating mechanism, as measured by DoS and dispositional humility, for the protective influence of forgivingness on depression symptoms and the promotive influence of forgivingness on prosocial relating.

Keywords:

• humility
• forgivingness
• differentiation of self
• mental health symptoms
• social justice commitment

Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the generous financial support of the John Templeton Foundation, Grant No. 29630, The Development, Validation, and Dissemination of Measures of Intellectual Humility and Humility.