THE NEUROSCIENCE OF FORGIVENESS:
A SOBER TAKE ON AN OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD CONCEPT
Dr Melike Fourie, neuropsychologist, Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town
Monday, 27 January 9.15 am COURSE FEES R110; Staff and Students R55
This lecture is part of the Neuroscience Institute’s series of five lectures.
Forgiveness is often described as a panacea for all wrongdoing, with immense benefits for everyone involved. Until fairly recently, it has been relegated to the field of theology and religious study, rendering it quite opaque to empirical scientific enquiry. But what does recent science tell us about the evolution and biology of forgiveness, and what does it actually mean and require of us to forgive? In a country like South Africa, which continues to grapple with the legacies of our racialised and oppressive history, a question like this takes on national significance. This lecture delves into what is currently understood about the neuroscience of forgiveness – a conceptual framework that illuminates its component processes and neuroanatomical architecture. Specifically, empirical evidence from social psychology and neuroscience suggests that forgiveness relies on three distinct and interacting psychological macro-components: cognitive control, perspective taking and social valuation. This analysis strives to bring the science of forgiveness into conversation with the complexities of our local context, also examining some of the processes that may derail or facilitate forgiveness and repair.
Recommended reading
Fourie, M.M., Hortensius, R. and Decety, J. 2020. Parsing the components of forgiveness: Psychological and neural mechanisms. In Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 112, 437–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.020
Fourie, M.M., Stein, D.J., Solms, M., Gobodo-Madikizela, P. and Decety, J. 2017. Empathy and moral emotions in post-apartheid South-Africa: An fMRI investigation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsx019
Gobodo-Madikizela, P. 2018. Forgiveness is ‘the wrong word’: empathic repair and the potential for human connection in the aftermath of historical trauma. In Leiner, M. and Shliesser, C. 2017. Alternative Approaches in Conflict Resolution. Germany: Springer International. pp. 111–123.
Noor, M. 2016. Suffering need not beget suffering: Why we forgive. Current Opinion in Psychology. 11, pp. 100–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.06.013
Health professionals can earn CPD points for this course.