Research on interpersonal forgiveness has blossomed in counseling and moral education. The impact of receiving interpersonal forgiveness from another--the foreswearing of revenge and resentment toward a person who has hurt us--is examined here. Most theory and research in developmental, counseling, and educational psychology suggest that the experience of receiving forgiveness should have positive benefits, while research in the related area of social psychology tempers such optimism. To test the effects of forgiveness, 205 college students from a small, church-affiliated four-year liberal arts college completed instruments that measured forgiveness, self-esteem, social desirability, and religious style. Results indicate that correlations between forgiveness outcomes and demographic variables were weak. The most interesting correlation between forgiveness outcomes and relationship variables involved the perceived quality of forgiveness offered, the nature of the relationship before the offense, and the degree of pain caused, suggesting that offering forgiveness in a manner that is loving and uncoercive is important if one wants to induce positive change in the offender and the relationship. Interpersonal mercy appears to be multi-dimensional; gender differences on the impact of receiving forgiveness are discussed. (RJM)