Suffering Need Not Beget Suffering: Why We Forgive

The concept of intergroup forgiveness has gained a research momentum. Here, I examine its utility as a viable conflict resolution strategy. After advancing a more refined definition of intergroup forgiveness than had been previously proposed by researchers, I review research testing the efficacy of social psychological interventions aimed at fostering forgiveness between historical as well as ongoing adversarial groups. While several interventions based on social identity processes and the re-categorization of the victimhood category seem to offer potential promise for increasing forgiveness, some research also highlights that forgiveness may come at the cost of suppressing motivation to seek justice and demand restitution. The conclusion reminds that while forgiveness is not a panacea for resolving intergroup conflict, it may offer one of the rare strategies for curtailing the impulse for revenge and thus reducing conflict escalation