How Effective Were the Semi-Apologies of Trump and Lochte?
Not very, according to recent research.
Two high-profile but vaguely worded apologies have dominated the news of late.
Will these carefully worded comments absolve these high-profile figures in the minds of the American public? A study published earlier this year suggests it's unlikely, although Lochte might fare slightly better than Trump.
"Apologies really do work, but you should make sure you hit as many of the six key components as possible," Lewicki said when the study was released. If that's not possible, he added, the study's results suggest you should focus on numbers three and five.
By those standards, Lochte's statement only partially gets the job done. "I accept responsibility for my role in this happening, and have learned some valuable lessons," Lochte wrote.
That's a good start, but his explanation of what went wrong amounts to an attempt to justify his behavior.
So he offers an expression of regret, but his acknowledgment of responsibility is weakened by his self-serving explanation of what occurred. In addition, his insistence that "there has already been too much said" about the incident is a clear attempt to minimize it. And, crucially, there is no offer to repair the damage he has caused.
Trump then continued in the same vain as Lochte, insisting that we've all paid far too much attention to his unfortunate statements, and need to move on.
"Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues," he said. As with Lochte, his attempt to minimize the importance of his unspecified transgressions makes his apology seem less than sincere.
To return to Lewicki's list, Trump only hit the first of his six elements, and did not address the two most important ones: He did not acknowledge responsibility, and made no offer to repair the damage he has done. In addition, he made no attempt to explain what went wrong, and did not request forgiveness.
So, on a scale of one to six, Lochte scores a two (to be generous), and Trump a one. In the apology Olympics, neither is in a position to medal.