The open wounds of the “years of lead” terrorism: representations, forgiveness and social well-being across generations

The goal of the present research was twofold. Firstly, it explored the social representations of the Years of Lead across different Italian generations (citizens who were adolescents or adults during the terrorism period and the younger generations that, being born after its end, inherited the narratives of that period; N= 580). It was examined the extent to which this period still represents an open wound for the Italian society as well as whether (and under which conditions) forgiving the terrorists and the Institutions for their faults is perceived as a viable strategy to heal this collective wound. Secondly, the study verified whether the participants‘ perception of the Years of Lead as an open wound was related to their social well-being through the mediation of forgiveness granted towards the terrorists and the Institutions.