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Behavior

The Apology That Actually Works

1:10 · 2026-07-13

An effective apology begins by accurately naming the harm and its consequence for the other person instead of centering the apologizer's intentions, character, or discomfort.

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Sources behind this episode

  • peer-reviewed journal articleAn Exploration of the Structure of Effective ApologiesLewicki, Polin and Lount 2016, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research
  • peer-reviewed review articleThe Psychology of Offering an Apology: Understanding the Barriers to Apologizing and How to Overcome ThemSchumann 2018, Current Directions in Psychological Science
  • authored scholarly bookOn ApologyLazare 2004, Oxford University Press
  • peer-reviewed journal articleAvoidant and Defensive: Adult Attachment and Quality of ApologiesSchumann and Orehek 2019, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
  • peer-reviewed journal articleThe Impact of a Victim-Focused Apology on Forgiveness in an Intergroup ContextBerndsen, Hornsey and Wohl 2015, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations

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