I work in Taiwan and was wondering if you have done any work there and what cross-cultural difference you might see with the United States.

Yes, we have done research on forgiveness in Taiwan. Perhaps the most important difference is this: People in Taiwan seem to need an apology from the offending person before forgiving occurs. It is a matter of honor or saving face, I think. Also, we found that when people in Taiwan forgive, they tend, more than in the United States, to say that what happened is not a problem now. This does not mean that they are excusing or condoning. Instead, I think they are putting the incident behind them.

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Categories: Ask Dr. Forgiveness

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