Are you curious to know the different kinds of apologies in our society? Since we were little kids, one of the basic lessons that our parents have taught us is offering an apology when we had done something wrong. Seemingly, “ I am sorry” is a prevalent expression of human communication and people say it everywhere as well. But many of us have never thought about the message of our apologies and the circumstances in which it is used. Although the apology is extremely diversified, according to my observations and my own life experiences, i think that there are four kinds of apology which is classified by the meaning and the using situations: non-apology apology, apology from courteousness, apology from guilty feeling, and apology from love.
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It is a reference that we feel compelled and forced to please the offended person. In fact, the speaker who use this kind of apology to show that they have done their duty of excusing while simultaneously denying they have done anything wrong by using the “if” statement. “ If someone was hurt by what I said, I am sorry you feel that way”. Finally, the ego is the only thing they care about and they simply do not apologize at all. It happens when they feel frustrated and angry that they are deserved to get an apology more than give one. Unfortunately, people are really good at detecting the insincerity. This type of apology not only is the most ineffective attempt but can also exacerbate a fractured relationship. For this reason, I believe that everyone should avoid this type of apology in any situation as long as they still want to keep a satisfactory …show more content…
More attentive and sincere than the two kinds of apology above, it is offered when something goes wrong and leads to serious consequences. For instance, even though the mom told her daughter many times that she is not allowed to run around in the house, the daughter does not obey and accidentally broke her mom’s favorite vase. She feels guilty and says “I am really sorry, mom”. The apology aims to assuage her blameworthy feeling as well as to get the forgiveness and empathy. This kind of apology also can be seen as a way to heal a relationship. Seemingly, the apology from guilt is really easily said by children; but with adults who have the tendency to find it hard to admit their transgressions and to look someone in the eyes and offer a sincere apology, it is a
It is a reference that we feel compelled and forced to please the offended person. In fact, the speaker who use this kind of apology to show that they have done their duty of excusing while simultaneously denying they have done anything wrong by using the “if” statement. “ If someone was hurt by what I said, I am sorry you feel that way”. Finally, the ego is the only thing they care about and they simply do not apologize at all. It happens when they feel frustrated and angry that they are deserved to get an apology more than give one. Unfortunately, people are really good at detecting the insincerity. This type of apology not only is the most ineffective attempt but can also exacerbate a fractured relationship. For this reason, I believe that everyone should avoid this type of apology in any situation as long as they still want to keep a satisfactory …show more content…
More attentive and sincere than the two kinds of apology above, it is offered when something goes wrong and leads to serious consequences. For instance, even though the mom told her daughter many times that she is not allowed to run around in the house, the daughter does not obey and accidentally broke her mom’s favorite vase. She feels guilty and says “I am really sorry, mom”. The apology aims to assuage her blameworthy feeling as well as to get the forgiveness and empathy. This kind of apology also can be seen as a way to heal a relationship. Seemingly, the apology from guilt is really easily said by children; but with adults who have the tendency to find it hard to admit their transgressions and to look someone in the eyes and offer a sincere apology, it is a