Act of Apology
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An Act of Apology is a direct speech act that expresses regret for a harmful act.
- Context:
- It can (typically) acknowledge responsibility for an action, behavior, or event causing harm or offense.
- It can (often) include expressions of regret, remorse, or sorrow to demonstrate emotional awareness.
- It can be paired with restitution or reparative actions to address the harm caused.
- ...
- It can range from being a Private Apology to being a Public Apology.
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- It can initiate reconciliation or rebuilding trust in interpersonal or organizational relationships.
- It can address intentional or unintentional harm, tailoring its elements to the nature of the incident.
- It can be supported by Acts of Penance.
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- Example(s):
- Personal Apology, which often involves direct communication between individuals (e.g., saying "I'm sorry" for a missed meeting).
- Corporate Apology, which addresses customers or stakeholders (e.g., a company apologizing for a product defect).
- Political Apology, which acknowledges historical or cultural transgressions (e.g., apologies for past governmental injustices).
- Legal Apology, which may be part of legal settlements or public statements post-litigation.
- Peter the Apostle's apology to Jesus.
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- Counter-Example(s):
- Excuses, which justify or diminish responsibility rather than accepting it.
- Justifications, which argue the validity of an action instead of acknowledging harm.
- Non-Apologies, which lack genuine regret or accountability (e.g., "I'm sorry you feel that way").
- Judas felt remorse but never apologized.
- See: Sorry, Remorse, Regret, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Restitution, Mediation.
References
2018
- (Wikipedia, 2018) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/apology Retrieved:2018-7-22.
2018b
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-trump-retreats-grudging-apologies-plus-a-wink-and-a-nod-to-the-original-insult/2018/07/17/ea7ac346-89f9-11e8-8aea-86e88ae760d8_story.html
- QUOTE: ... Although he often demands apologies, Trump has always been frank about his belief that they are a sign of weakness. He didn’t apologize for calling Haiti and African nations “shithole countries.” He didn’t apologize for slamming Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2016 campaign as a “loser” who was no war hero “because he was captured.” Trump held a news conference to react to the firestorm over his insult. But rather than expressing remorse, he instead hit McCain again, accusing the senator of not doing enough to help his fellow veterans.
“I think apologizing’s a great thing,” he said on NBC’s “Tonight Show” in 2015, “but you have to be wrong. I will absolutely apologize, sometime in the hopefully distant future, if I’m ever wrong.” …
- QUOTE: ... Although he often demands apologies, Trump has always been frank about his belief that they are a sign of weakness. He didn’t apologize for calling Haiti and African nations “shithole countries.” He didn’t apologize for slamming Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2016 campaign as a “loser” who was no war hero “because he was captured.” Trump held a news conference to react to the firestorm over his insult. But rather than expressing remorse, he instead hit McCain again, accusing the senator of not doing enough to help his fellow veterans.