The Varieties of Forgiveness Experience: Working toward a Comprehensive Definition of Forgiveness

@article{LawlerRow2006TheVO,
  title={The Varieties of Forgiveness Experience: Working toward a Comprehensive Definition of Forgiveness},
  author={Kathleen A. Lawler-Row and Cynthia A. Scott and Rachel Lynn Raines and Meirav Edlis-Matityahou and Erin Moore},
  journal={Journal of Religion and Health},
  year={2006},
  volume={46},
  pages={233-248}
}
The definition of forgiveness was explored in a group of 270 young adults, and the underlying dimensions of their definitions compared with those of philosophers, theologians and psychological researchers. Three dimensions were identified: orientation (self, other), direction (passive letting go of negative experiences, active enhancement of positive experiences) and form (emotion, cognition and behavior). Definitions employing a passive letting go of negative experiences were associated with… 
View on Springer
53 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
3
Background Citations
13
Results Citations
4

53 Citations

Thai conceptualizations of forgiveness within a work context : comparison with Western models
Forgiveness research has focused almost exclusively on individualistic Western culture despite acknowledgement of the importance of cultural factors. Conflict at work is common yet studies of…
Emerging Forms of Awareness about Forgiveness: An Analysis of What High Profile Leaders Think
i Chapter I: Introduction 1 Synopsis of Contextual Frames of Reference for Forgiveness Research 1 Definition of Forgiveness 6 Purpose of This Study 7 Epistemological Stance 8 Owning My Personal…
For whom do we forgive? A functional analysis of forgiveness
We propose that people forgive to serve particular functions, depending on the extent to which forgiveness is intended to benefit the self, the offender, and their relationship. Three studies on…
Challenges of facilitating forgiveness in psychotherapy
ABSTRACT The popularity of forgiveness in clinical contexts may lead some to believe it is a panacea for all interpersonal problems across a multitude of contexts. Yet some research has found that…
FORGIVING AS EMOTIONAL DISTANCING
Abstract: In this essay, I present an account of forgiveness as a process of emotional distancing. The central claim is that, understood in these terms, forgiveness does not require a change in…
Qualitative analysis of a Slovakian sample of the lay population’s understanding of forgiveness with regard to age differences
Forgiveness has been defined as a moral virtue, a willingness to give up oneʼs right to resentment, negative judgment, and indifferent behavior toward the person who has injured us unjustly (Enright,…
An examination of forgiveness and revenge in victims of crime
This body of work examines the concepts of forgiveness and revenge in victims of crime. Victims are historically under-researched and in particular there is a need for further examination of the…
Gender Differences in Response to Experimental Forgiveness Prompts: Do Men Show Stronger Responses Than Women?
After recalling interpersonal offenses, undergraduates (106 women, 79 men) were assigned to a control condition or one emphasizing a forgiveness motivation: personal benefit, moral obligation, or…
Defining Forgiveness: Historical Roots, Contemporary Research, and Key Considerations for Health Outcomes
In the growing literature on the psychology of forgiveness, definitions play a crucial role. Depending on how one defines forgiveness, the information gathered, conclusions drawn, and implications…
Self-Construal and Forgiveness Revisited: Examining the Motivations for Forgiving Others
Evidence suggests that self-construal influences an individual’s perspective on granting forgiveness to an offender. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the intricacies of the…
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 29 REFERENCES
Three ways to forgive: a numerically aided phenomenological study.
TLDR
It is proposed that the study of first-person experiential accounts of forgiveness can enrich ongoing definitional and psychometric efforts and the implications of a tripartite model of forgiveness are considered.
Defining Forgiveness: An Empirical Exploration of Process and Role.
Abstract The forgiveness process has been advocated as being useful in treating a wide range of inter- and intrapersonal problems. However, acceptance of this technique has been limited in part by…
Dimensions of forgiveness: The views of laypersons
Many conceptualizations of forgiveness currently exist in the forgiveness literature. The present study adds another perspective to the forgiveness discussion by investigating lay definitions of…
A Prototype Analysis of Forgiveness
TLDR
The two criteria for demonstrating prototype structure (that participants find it meaningful to judge features in terms of their centrality and that centrality affects cognition) were met.
Forgiveness: Who Does It and How Do They Do It?
Forgiveness is a suite of prosocial motivational changes that occurs after a person has incurred a transgression. People who are inclined to forgive their transgressors tend to be more agreeable,…
When forgiving enhances psychological well-being: the role of interpersonal commitment.
TLDR
It is predicted that forgiving is associated with enhanced well-being but that this association should be more pronounced in relationships of strong rather than weak commitment and this hypothesis received good support in Studies 1-3.
Handbook of Forgiveness
Worthington, Jr., Initial Questions about the Art and Science of Forgiving. Part I: Nature, Philosophy, Religion and Forgiveness. de Waal, Pokorny, Primate Conflict Resolution and its Relation to…
Defining forgiveness: christian clergy and general population perspectives.
TLDR
This study returns to the Christian source of the concept of forgiveness to explore the meaning of forgiveness for practicing Christian clergy and comparisons are made with a general population sample and social science definitions of forgiven to ensure that a shared meaning of forgiven is articulated.
The use of a decision-based forgiveness intervention within intergenerational family therapy
The intervention presented here links intergenerational theory and therapy with a step-by-step forgiveness strategy. Forgiveness is defined from a cognitive perspective so that it can be applied…
Forgivingness
This study first examined the factorial structure of the responses of Congolese participants to a willingness-to-forgive questionnaire already used on European samples. The same two factors, revenge…
...
...