Merolla's Theory Of Interpersonal Forgiveness

With these critiques in mind, Merolla’s phenomenon of interpersonal forgiveness and sincerity could be studied under a different metaphor and a different set of metatheoretical assumptions. This would shift the goal of the research and the kinds of questions that get asked, but could reveal the impact of how the conceptualization and theories behind a study shape the entire research process. If the application of metaphor were to shift from coordination to control, Merolla’s study would change due to a different understanding of interpersonal communication. Although the control metaphor is not common in interpersonal communication research, some versions of speech act focus on the individual speaker, instead of what is communicated together. This particular understanding of speech act would change the way Merolla conceptualized his study. The control metaphor views interpersonal communication as a “problem of control” where the self seeks to control the outcomes of the other (Bochner, pg. 21). Interpersonal situations are seen as …show more content…
If the individual was the victim, the person might feel angry, spiteful or betrayed, which could impact the response. If the person is the offender, this individual might be trying to control the victim’s emotions by faking a sincere response. Potential statements craft the survey could include the following: “ I changed my behavior to try and stop the person from crying or continuing to be upset”, “I only communicated forgiveness because I thought it would stop the other person from being mad at me any longer”, or “I know how apologizing is supposed to work, so I went off of what I thought would be effective in stopping the fight.” Statements could also reference if there was a “goal” of the forgiveness interaction. This would indicate an emphasis on