The Concept of Forgiveness as a Tool in Counseling Intervention for Well-being Enhancement (original) (raw)
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The Treatment of Forgiveness in Counselling and Therapy
Situations involving perceived hurts, slights, and other interpersonal maltreatment are at the core of counselling and therapy. Resolution of these situations frequently involves forgiveness of the transgressor. Despite this the concept of forgiveness has received relatively little attention within the counselling and therapy literature. The reasons for this are explored beginning with the association between forgiveness and the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Freud avoided the term forgiveness and psychoanalysts until very recently have followed suit. Ways in which forgiveness are conceptualised are explored. Difficulties related to forgiving associated with our conceptualisations of natural justice are identified. A cautionary note is struck about the dangers of pathologising non forgiveness given the enthusiasm for forgiveness in the current research literature and in Positive Psychology. Distinctions between processes of forgiveness are made which are particularly potent for counselling. A summary of the literature with regard to the health benefits of forgiveness is presented and some client dilemmas in relation to forgiveness are outlined. Most of the emergent research on forgiveness is being undertaken by academic psychologists and the argument is made that counselling psychologists are uniquely equipped to contribute to the growing research literature on forgiveness.
The Relationship Between Forgiveness and Emotional Well-Being
Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 500 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to present.
Forgiveness and Mental Health Intervention
SHREE PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS, New Delhi, India
Recent years have witnessed a sudden upsurge in the scientific study of positive psychological constructs to unravel a multitude of positive life outcomes for people across the globe. Forgiveness has gained a popular status due to its ubiquitous nature and significant role in human life. Conventionally, forgiveness has been assumed to be the subject matter falling in the purview of theology, religion, ethics and philosophy. It has gained the status of a popular construct having interdisciplinary orientation significant to underscore and explain a plethora of behaviours and functioning in diverse areas of human activities. In essence, forgiveness is a desirable human strength that entails a complex set of cognitive, affective and behavioural attributes suggested to play a pivotal role in renouncing resentment and promoting reconciliation. The researchers have identified that forgiveness works at four levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational and collective levels. Many positive outcomes have been observed to be closely associated with the practice of forgiveness as it catalyzes socially desirable motivational changes and liberation of the individuals from negative affiliations linked with a transgression, transgressor or situations pertaining to a transgression. A set of mechanisms have been suggested to underlie forgiveness that helps to lessen resentment and negative emotionality, and to reinterpretation and reframing of the various aspects of transgressions leading to full functioning, health and well-being by people. Expression of remorse, acceptance of wrongdoing, repairing of relationship with self and others, ability to minimize negative emotions towards self, monitoring of others’ positive behaviours and acknowledgements of valued and close relationships have been suggested to be the chief psychological mechanisms underlying its positive impacts for life outcomes. This chapter attempts to highlight the role of forgiveness as a positive health intervention to achieve, strengthen, maintain and promote mental health outcomes. A special emphasis will also be to explicate the origin of forgiveness in the Vedic rituals like Puja, Prayer, Dan and Aparigraha prevalent in Indian cultural practices. The mental health interventions based on forgiveness may have an effective role in lessening negative emotionality, grief, pain and promoting positive relationships with the self, others, community and organizations. The conclusions of the chapter may have significant implications for practitioners, researchers and health professionals. Keywords: forgiveness, forgiveness intervention, life outcomes, positive mental health.
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2007
This article is a critical review of how forgiveness is conceptualized in the family therapy, counseling, and clinical psychology literature. A systematic analysis of themes in a fairly comprehensive set of texts was carried out. Three main dimensions emerged along which therapist authors' viewpoints can be located: essentiality, intentionality, and benevolence. Therapy practices and values that correspond with positions along these dimensions are presented. The analysis reveals that greater exploration is needed regarding how forgiveness is related to diversity (e.g., gender, culture, religion, etc.), marginalization, and relations of power. Our objective is to provide a conceptual map for clinicians so that they might locate their own thinking about forgiveness and be better equipped to work sensitively with the forgiveness views and values of their clients.
Mental health through forgiveness: Exploring the roots and benefits
Forgiveness is conceptualized as the process of making peace with life. The three sources of forgiveness, another person, oneself, and a situation or circumstance are capable of freeing a person from a negative association to the source that has transgressed against a person. Research studies show the mental health benefits associated with forgiveness. The present study explores the experiences of adults who practice forgiveness, specifically, the indicators of forgiveness, the childhood antecedents, and the benefits of forgiving behavior. The study uses a qualitative research approach following a phenomenological framework. A total of 12 adults, ranging from 25 to 40 years of age, who received a high score on Heartland Forgiveness Scale were included in the study. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews, their personal experiences were explored. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes emerged show that the childhood antecedents of forgiveness are parental influences and early childhood experiences. The indicators of forgiving behavior include positive emotional state, empathy and perspective taking, and religiosity. The themes identified are enhanced sense of well-being, improved self-acceptance, and competence to deal with challenges. Forgiveness enhanced physical and psychological well-being. The findings of the study have several implications for religious leaders, teachers, parents, mental health professionals, and trainers.
Forgiveness: a review of the theoretical and empirical literature
Journal of Family Therapy, 1998
This paper reviews the published literature addressing forgiveness as a therapeutic issue. The review revealed four major themes. These included: diverse attempts in the literature to define forgiveness; the presentation of models of intervention; resistance among theoreticians and therapists to examine forgiveness as a therapeutic construct, and empirical evidence of forgiveness intervention applied to clinical settings. These theoretical and empirical publications are described and critiqued. An evaluation is made as to the current state of the research, and suggestions for future directions.
Counseling and Values, 2012
The relationship between episodic and dispositional forgiveness and the resolution of Erikson's (1963) psychosocial crises were explored in this study. Participants (N = 66) completed the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (Enright & Rique, 2004), Tendency to Forgive Scale (Brown, 2003), and Measures of Psychosocial Development (Hawley, 1988). Results are consistent with forgiveness and Eriksonian theories. Episodic forgiveness and dispositional forgiveness accounted for 8% and 10%, respectively, of the variance in global resolution of psychosocial crises. The most pronounced relationship was between both forgiveness types and Erikson's crises related to basic trust and ego integrity. Implications for counseling research, practice, and training are discussed.
Five points on the construct of forgiveness within psychotherapy
Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 1991
We address five issues about interpersonal forgiveness in psychotherapy, as a response to Worthington and DiBlasio's (1990) thought-provoking article. We argue that therapists must first know the subtleties in the definition of forgiveness, view forgiveness as an unfolding process taking time, direct clients to forgive one issue at a time, be aware of pseudo-forgiveness, and consider whether a client should forgive even when an offender remains unrepentant. Worthington and DiBlasio (1990), in a recent issue of this journal, discussed the important topic of interpersonal forgiveness within psychotherapy. Because of the many new articles on this topic within the helping professions (see, for example, Fitzgibbons, 1986; Hope, 1987) we believe it necessary to clarify five points about forgiveness that have emerged in the published literature. Our point is not to criticize but to add understanding about forgiveness so that therapists may provide the best possible service to clients who have forgiveness as a goal.