Step by step: Testing the staircase model of intergroup apologies

Abstract

Despite the assumption that intergroup apologies should lead to forgiveness in the same way that interpersonal ones do, research suggests that this is not the case. We report two studies exploring the application of the Staircase Model of Intergroup Apologies (Wohl et al., 2011), in which an intergroup apology is embedded in a broader reconciliation process. Participants read accounts of an intergroup conflict (the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland) and subsequent efforts to achieve reconciliation, focusing on an official apology issued by the IRA. The content of this apology was varied such that the steps specified by the Staircase Model were presented either sequentially (Study 1) or in a manipulated order (Study 2). Both studies yielded results that were broadly supportive of the model. There were significant effects on measures of forgiveness, perceptions of the perpetrating group, and negative emotion (in particular disgust). The implications for enhancing the efficacy of intergroup apologies are discussed.