Initial Validation of the Unfolding Forgiveness Process in a Natural Environment

✍ Scribed by John S. Klatt; Robert D. Enright

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 134 KB
• Volume: 56
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0160-7960
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-007x.2011.tb01029.x

✦ Synopsis

Although the literature on forgiveness is growing, little research exists on the process of forgiveness itself. This study was an initial effort to investigate the forgiveness process within a short‐term longitudinal design. Participants (N = 41) completed 2 measures of forgiveness and a set of short‐answer questions multiple times over 12 weeks. Participants made significant progress toward forgiveness, and the movement toward forgiveness was consistent with the Forgiveness Process Model (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2000). The qualitative data collected begin to identify the mechanisms people use to move through the forgiveness process. Implications for counseling are drawn.