Getting Out of Blame: Excuses, Forgiveness, and the Deep Self

We often feel that what we have done is somehow not in keeping with who we are. This tension, or incongruity, between the person we take ourselves to be and what that person has done seems to matter to us, as judged by how common it is to emphasize it when answering for our behavior. We say that a given action is out of character or that it does not reflect who we really are . What are we trying to accomplish through these appeals? A natural answer is to see them as excuses, as attempts to get a break. This paper offers an alternative interpretation. I argue that we appeal to who we are not to be excused, but to be forgiven.