Here are some issues I’d like to see covered in the future:
Sometimes person A does something that causes person B to feel pain, and it doesn’t seem like person A did anything wrong. What kind of apology, if any, is appropriate?
How do I tell when something really isn’t my fault? What kind of harm-causing should I apologize for?
What do I do if someone tries to leverage my apology to extract some kind of additional concession from me, or I expect that this might happen?
Suppose I think someone should apologize to me for something. What should I do about it, if anything?
For my own part, I find “I’m sorry that what I did hurt you” appropriate in the first case, declining to concede appropriate in the third, and asking for an apology appropriate in the fourth. The second is more complicated.
Here are some issues I’d like to see covered in the future:
Sometimes person A does something that causes person B to feel pain, and it doesn’t seem like person A did anything wrong. What kind of apology, if any, is appropriate?
How do I tell when something really isn’t my fault? What kind of harm-causing should I apologize for?
What do I do if someone tries to leverage my apology to extract some kind of additional concession from me, or I expect that this might happen?
Suppose I think someone should apologize to me for something. What should I do about it, if anything?
For my own part, I find “I’m sorry that what I did hurt you” appropriate in the first case, declining to concede appropriate in the third, and asking for an apology appropriate in the fourth. The second is more complicated.