Forgiveness as an intervention goal with incest survivors.

Abstract

An intervention, with forgiveness toward their abuser as the goal, was implemented with 12 female incest survivors. The women, from a midwestern city, were 24 to 54 years old, and all were Caucasian. A yoked, randomized experimental and control group design was used. The participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (receiving the forgiveness intervention immediately) or a waiting-list control group (receiving the intervention when their matched experimental counterpart finished the intervention). Each participant met individually with the intervener once per week. The average length of the intervention for the 12 participants was 14.3 months. A process model of forgiveness was used as the focus of intervention. Dependent variables included forgiveness, self-esteem, hope, psychological depression, and state-trait anxiety scales. After the intervention, the experimental group gained more than the control group in forgiveness and hope and decreased significantly more than the control group in anxiety and depression. When the control group then began the program they showed similar change patterns to the above, as well as in self-esteem improvement.

On when self-enhancement and self-criticism function adaptively and maladaptively.

“…These findings would suggest that narcissistic self-esteem is unstable (Kernis, 1993) or contingent (Deci & Ryan, 1995). Finally, because of their inability to forgive, narcissists are deprived of the beneficial consequences of forgiveness for psychological health (Coyle & Enright, 1997;Freedman & Enright, 1996). Thus, although narcissism is adaptive in some ways, it is maladaptive in others.…”

When forgiving enhances psychological well-being: The role of interpersonal commitment.

“…Indeed, some recent evidence suggests that forgiving may serve to repair a relationship (e.g., Fincham, 2000;McCullough, 2000;McCullough, Sandage, & Worthington, 1997;McCullough, Worthington, & Rachal, 1997). Moreover, as is discussed below, there is evidence that forgiving is associated with psychological well-being, suggesting that forgiving is a source of human strength by which individuals sustain or improve psychological well-being (Al-Mabuk, Enright, & Cardis, 1995;Coyle & Enright, 1997;Freedman & Enright, 1996;Hebl & Enright, 1993). According to Hope (1987), forgiving is central to psychological healing processes.…”

A feasibility study of psychological strengths and well-being assessment in individuals living with recurrent depression

“…Interpersonal-forgiveness requires abandoning negative judgments and associated negative affect associated with the wrongdoer and giving up any right to retribution by not seeking revenge or holding grudges. In these definitions, self-forgiveness is intropunitive in orientation whereas other forgiveness is extrapunitive.Self-and other-forgiveness are associated with better mental health and well-being in general and student population samples (e.g., Maltby, Macaskill, & Day, 2001;Macaskill, 2012).Three research groups obtained significant reductions in depression scores following forgiveness interventions with depressed clinical samples (Freedman & Enright, 1996;Lin, Mack, Enright, Krahn, & Baskin, 2004;Reed & Enright, 2006). …”