PH
Researchers studied 173 university women and presented scenarios involving serious relationship transgressions, including sexual infidelity.
They examined revenge, avoidance, benevolence, guilt, and partner-specific dependency.
The researchers found that dependency on a partner could interact with feelings of guilt in predicting forgiveness-related responses, although some effects differed depending on the type of transgression.
The study highlights an easily overlooked part of forgiveness.
A woman's response isn't necessarily determined solely by how terrible she considers the betrayal.
How psychologically dependent she feels on the relationship can also enter the equation.
Sometimes the difficulty of leaving is connected to what the relationship represents in her life.
© The Journal of Psychology (2019)