Research Methods Used in the Research Process

“Forgiveness, assert Fincham and his colleagues, can help restore more benevolent and cooperative goals to relationships” Everett L. Worthington, Jr.(2004). New Science of Forgiveness.

It is also vital to look at Wilson’s view on the practice of forgiveness and how if an individual decides to ignore it, it can place a road block in their process of change. She believes that God speaks about forgiveness for the following reasons:” (1) we are all sinners with whom to relate so we’ll need to become skillful forgivers (2) God makes forgiveness a centerpiece of our healing process because living in un-forgiveness is so much worse (Wilson, 2001).

The motivation and tendency of people to forgive others remains an important topic of discussion. In today’s society most people at some period have experienced feeling of un forgiveness towards friend, or relatives. “Forgiveness was defined as the ability to relinquish of resentment towards others” (Baskin & Enright, 2004, p. 80).

Throughout life everyone has been in a situation where they were offended or they have offended someone else. Therefore, forgiving someone is therapeutic for the victim, and the offended. However, when someone is wronged, justice is what they seek. On the contrary, when people feel pain from being wronged, they experience an “injustice gap.” Worthington defines “injustice gap” as, “the difference between the way the person would like a transgression to be resolved, and the way things are perceived to be currently” (Worthington Jr, 2005, pg. 121).

In the book Rediscovering the Power of Repentance and Forgiveness, Dr. Leah Coulter seeks to challenge the conventional Christian approach to forgiveness. Conventional Christianity approaches forgiveness as a Christian duty, and, in many ways, this has been unfair to the victims who have almost been condemned for seeking justice rather than simply forgetting. She asks, "From an all too common Christian view, why must the weight and responsibility of forgiveness be placed on the sinned-against instead of the sinner's repentance?" (Coulter). Therefore, she focuses extensively on the idea of repentance and the duty of the sinner to repent. However, that is not to suggest that Coulter abandons the idea that forgiveness is a Christian imperative, but she attempts to place it within its Jewish context, and demonstrate how other facets of historical Judaism inform the practice of forgiveness and repentance.

“Those who use forgiveness in counseling because it helps people feel better often acknowledge the religious meaning of forgiveness” (McMinn, pg.

Hesburgh explains, “My whole instinct is to forgive. Perhaps that is because I am a Catholic priest. In a sense, I am in the forgiving business… I think of God as the great forgiver of sinful humanity” (169). Prager further explains these religious divides, “It is only meant to explain why to Jews it is so patently obvious that it is morally wrong to forgive a man who has burned families alive, and to Christians it is equally obvious that one ought to” (230). Buddhism also argues for forgiveness as well. Ricard states, “For a Buddhist, forgiveness is always possible and one should always forgive” (235). Lastly, there is an argument that without forgiveness it is difficult to move on to the future. Tutu succinctly states, “Without forgiveness, there is no future.”

Forgiveness has been defined in many ways by psychologists and researchers with no one universal definition. Hill (as cited in Maltby, Day and Mackaskill 2001) state that it is widely agreed that forgiveness involves a willingness to abandon resentment, negative judgement and indifferent behaviour towards the person who has hurt them Although research is recent, from the last 15 years, it has helped develop our understanding of forgiveness . Research has shown that forgiveness gives positive mental health and prevents the development of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress. Two major models of forgiveness are Enright’s model and Worthington’s (2001) pyramid model to REACH forgiveness. Both these models involve steps and

Robert D. Enright is a meta-analysis study on interventions that are conducted to determine if the

The Miserable Lives of Those Who Cannot Move On In today’s society, forgiveness is occasionally a touchy subject. Some believe forgiveness is not necessary, while others follow the belief in the Bible, “forgive one another” (The New American Bible, Eph. 4:32). However one looks at this subject, forgiveness can be difficult in certain instances, especially between a coach and his players. When conflicts arise between these two subjects, there are instances when forgiveness can take years, even numerous years.

This client was Christian and from my estimation now looking back was just beginning their walk with Christ and not on the same maturity level that I was at that time in my walk with Christ. At that time I knew how forgiveness first and foremost is obedience to God, and secondly how it can set you free from so many emotional problems, McMinn said, “Forgiveness, in its theological and spiritual context, is profound, life-giving, and transforming. When we remove the religious context and think of forgiveness only as a clinical technique, we risk losing the essence of forgiveness.” (2011, p. 254) After reading this chapter it made me re-live an area in which I was not fully equipped to help client maneuver their way through. This particular chapter has allowed me to see how vital forgiveness is in a therapeutic session, and how it must be used carefully. It is made me aware of how important my Christianity is to forgiveness, but also to assess the level my client is currently on before beginning a session on forgiveness. Reflection

In general, self-forgiveness is identified by a common ability to exhibit self-respect in spite of the acceptance of wrong-doing (Hall, J., Fincham, D., 2005). I never considered the distinction between interpersonal forgiveness and intrapersonal forgiveness. While they share many similarities, there is even greater evidence of the differences between the two. One significant difference involves the consequences of withholding forgiveness from self. It is likely that intrapersonal unforgiveness can be much more detrimental than interpersonal. Hall & Fincham state “ Self-forgiveness often entails a resolution to change” (2005). It is this process of acceptance of one’s own imperfections and sinful nature that catapults a desire for self-improvement and growth. This is a critical component of healing the soul and beginning the journey to spiritual and mental health. Also enlightening was the declaration that one can experience pseudo self forgiveness by failing to acknowledge any wrong doing and convincing him/herself that they are without fault. Finally, I was struck by the notion that self-forgiveness will typically

Christian beliefs and practices such as prayer and the belief in God play a role in encouraging forgiveness. These beliefs can have a profound effect on an individual who has experienced wrongdoing against them (Pettigrove, 2012). The belief in God leaves one feelings as if they are not standing alone in the midst of adversity but instead being taken care of and protected (Pettigrove, 2012). The more secure one feels from the offender being taken care of, the less anger the offended may feel which may alter the experience of forgiveness (Pettigrove, 2012). It goes on to say in the article, “Forgiveness without God”, that when one believes in God, anger may be reduced leaving much less work in the area of forgiveness

Asking for forgiveness and forgiving to many is the hardest thing to do but we must remember in the book of Matthew (18:21-22) Peter said to the Lord: “Lord if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” In this paper, the chosen case study will give the reader a better understanding of what forgiveness is to Jesus. Forgiveness is a big part of the Bible and if Jesus forgives us of our sins we too must learn to be as forgiving as him.

The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation is a foundation of the Catholic faith and of Christ’s teaching on earth, that forgiveness is vital to the ministry of God. This sacrament, however, is not the first occurrence of a forgiveness ritual in history. In fact, forgiveness itself can be found in cultures before Christ came down to earth. Three cultural groups, the Jews, the Taoists, and the Jains each have their own version of an atonement ritual. However great these rituals are, the Catholic ritual of Reconciliation/Penance/Confession is the best atonement ritual, and celebrates one of the central human tenants of forgiveness of wrongdoings.