Forgiveness and Relationship SatisfactionAllema d et al. THE ROLE OF TRAIT FORGIVENESS AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION IN EPISODIC FORGIVENESS

Given the positive individual and relationship benefits associated with interper-sonal forgiveness, the present study examines the association of trait forgiveness and relationship satisfaction with episodic forgiveness. One hundred and eighty participants in romantic relationships answered questions about forgiving the most serious transgression in their relationship. Both trait forgiveness and relationship satisfaction were related to forgiveness of the transgression. For participants in the process of forgiving, relationship satisfaction moderated the link between trait for-giveness and episodic forgiveness. At relatively higher levels of relationship satis-faction, trait forgiveness and episodic forgiveness were positively related whereas they were negatively related at lower levels of relationship satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of the roles that trait forgiveness and relationship satisfaction play in regard to episodic forgiveness in romantic relationships. Those we love are often the ones most likely to hurt us. When interper-sonal transgressions occur in close relationships they can elicit strong negative feelings and have the potential to disrupt the relationship. For-giveness provides one way of coping with such interpersonal hurts and is associated with positive short–term and long–term consequences. For example, in long–term successful marriages, spouses reported that the willingness to seek and grant forgiveness is one of the most important factors contributing to relationship satisfaction and marital longevity (Fenell, 1993). Further, in a study where participants rated 64 dimen-sions in terms of their centrality regarding relationship quality, forgive