I sometimes come across posts on social media from people who announce that they've changed their perspectives on things they often had no business forming judgment on. Or that they've flipped their entire ideology after having an epiphany through some kind of harrowing introspective rumination. Often from information pertaining to their biases that they've failed to critically consider before.

In other words, they've "seen the light", have realized that their former views were harmful to people and the world as a whole, and have jumped into yet another echo chamber with the obvious appeal to "belong" once more.

One post that comes to mind was from a former self-described Nazi who had spent the majority of his adult life terrorizing minorities, disparaging women and destroying their property. He recently came to the realization that his reasons for doing so were to "fit in" with the supremacist group he considered his friends (who ultimately didnt care if he showed up or not).
Another was of an evangelical pastor who admitted that he received compensation from wealthy donors for many years to preach fearmonger to his congregation and sway them towards political fascism. Trump taking office was his realization that his actions indeed had consequences.
Both of these men confessed their regrets and desire to change. These kinds of posts were usually popular, liked, shared and upvoted.

I'll acknowledge that reward seeking behavior is natural. But depending on the situation, what's natural is not always appropriate.

Does a person or people who've left behind their harmful former ideologies deserve to be praised simply for transitioning to a better rationale without first working to reverse the negative deposits they've contributed to their communities?

Is it a hallmark of vestigial tribalism to still require validation for merely cultivating your own philosophical development... as any person should? I'm not suggesting that they don't deserve respectful acknowledgment of their growth, but I'm very reserved on giving applause to people like this who've yet to demonstrate any kind of net positive.

I'm a bit torn on the appropriate response, as it's always a delight to know that someone has finally broken through their old ceiling, but something about the need to glean favor for such transitions is.... off-putting in a way. As if the reason they're doing so (and publicly) is because of the changes they perceive in the vox populi, and not the grief of their own conscience.