Thank you for taking part in this study. This is my thesis project for my Psychology Honours degree and I’m appreciative of your participation for that.

This study adds to a growing body of research exploring how third-party observers respond to workplace conflict and transgressions. I looked at how forgiveness influences perceptions of trust and whether self-control acts as a mechanism between the two factors. I expected the results to show that forgiving individuals would be seen as more trustworthy by third-party observers because they demonstrate better self-control. Interestingly, the results showed only a marginal effect of forgiveness on disclosure-based trust – that is, people were slightly more trusting of someone who forgave, because they were perceived as being safer to share sensitive information with. However, forgiving victims were not perceived as having more self-control.

While self-control does not seem to explain the forgiveness-trust link in this context, these findings add to the growing body of research to help narrow down what mechanisms might be involved. The relationship between forgiveness, trust, and self-control might be complex. Future studies could explore other factors or contexts to better understand how forgiveness effects trust. Thank you again for your participation in this study!

Thanks!

Stephanie