...In a perfect Utopia world, humans are born without flaws and live in a perfect world. How awesome would it be to live in a place where no hurt is present and forgiveness is unnecessary? Sounds like Heaven right? However, the act to forgive is one of the most challenging aspects of human life. It is difficult to display the act of forgiveness, especially when pain and pride is at the center of one’s heart. Often times, this act can be taken as weakness rather than strength. The Merriam- Webster definition for forgive is “to stop feeling angry or resentful toward an individual for an offense, flaw, or mistake”. This Journal Article Review will discuss intervention studies on forgiveness and obtain the following sections: summary, reflection, and application. It will also highlight forgiveness case studies and define forgiveness according to findings within the research analysis. The quote “Forgive, but never forget” is an oxymoron...
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...Self-Forgiveness: The Stepchild of Forgiveness Research CUON506-B13 September 25, 2011 Self-Forgiveness: The Stepchild of Forgiveness Research is an article that focuses on the importance of comparing and contrasting interpersonal forgiveness as well as intrapersonal forgiveness. Not only does this article emphasizes the definitions and classifications of self-forgiveness, but also identifies the emotional and social cognitive determents, the limitations and implications self-forgiveness may trigger. Julie Hall and Frank Fincham composed this article with great detail and research to analyze the importance of self-forgiveness and examining the conventional issues that must be directed when considering the suitability of self-forgiveness. This article evaluates the components of self-forgiveness through a model that outlines its implications through research. Guilt, shame, attributions, conciliatory behavior, perceived forgiveness from victim or higher power, and severities of the offense are some of the many processes that constitute self-forgiveness. These processes causes the offender or the offended to account to more positive reprimands and fewer ongoing negative reprimands of the transgression than do offenders who have not forgiven themselves. Hall and Fincham explain that three levels of self-forgiveness and self-respect must ensue to involve restoration. First, self-forgiveness requires an objective fault or wrongdoing; second, negative feelings triggered...
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...brief synopsis of a system that could be integrated into churches to teach higher levels of forgiveness. It further explains the reasoning for the need of forgiveness due to all of the benefits that having a forgiving character can bring. Those who forgive more easily have a tendency to present with reductions in anger, depression, anxiety, grief, PTSD, and stress. They also have higher levels of self-esteem, hope, and positive attitudes. Even though the idea of forgiveness has been taught from early civilizations and documented in the pages of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the benefits of forgiveness have not been explored until approximately twenty years ago. It was not until 1984 when social scientist, Smedes and again in 1990 Worthington and DiBlasio sought to explore these possible benefits and to develop models of forgiveness (Magnuson & Enright, 2008). The two most popular models are Enright's process model and Worthington's REACH model. Enright's model which has four basic steps; the first is to begin to uncover the hurt or shame caused by the offense; the second step is to purposefully decide to forgive, the third step is to work towards forgiveness. One must begin to develop empathy for their offender. Not for the purpose of justifying their offense but to better understand why they acted in such a manner. The fourth and final step is to receive the healing of forgiveness. At this stage one learns to let the pain go and not to dwell on the incident. The second...
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...Journal Article Review I Lauren Pedersen Liberty University Journal Article Review Summary Spousal emotional abuse is ongoing, significant problem, impacting nearly 35% of women. Emotional abuse by a spouse or romantic partner can often lead to negative psychological outcomes, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, posttraumatic stress disorder, learned helplessness, and resentment of the abuser that persists even when the abuse ends. There have not been designated therapies designed to help these women. Gayle L. Reed and Robert D. Enright (2006) examine the roles forgiveness therapy has on emotionally abused women in the article The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress for Women After Spousal Emotional Abuse. According to Reed and Enright (2006), forgiveness therapy is designed to help the client let go of the anger and resentment that stems from a justifiable wrongdoing. The researchers believe that forgiveness therapy will be beneficial to the women who were emotionally abused by their spouse because it targets the resentment the woman has for the abuser. These emotionally abused women often times experience learned helplessness and accusatory suffering. Learned helplessness often occurs when women develop self-blame in response to their abusive spouse’s criticism and ridicule. Whereas accusatory suffering is when the emotional abused spouse continues to feel like the victim and hold onto the resent. Because of the...
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...The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy Journal Article Revi Liberty University The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy Summary Emotional abuse is one of the lasting effects of spousal abuse that will last longer than any bruise. Long after the abuse, women tend to demonstrate many lingering psychological effects, as this type of abuse may represent a betrayal of trust that may lead to negative outcomes for the one being abused (Reed & Enright, 2006). Spousal psychological abuse is s horse of different colors to include criticizing, ridiculing, jealous control, threats of abandonment, harm, damage to personal property, and purposeful ignoring (Reed & Enright, 2006). Some lasting effects from the psychological abuse include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, learned helplessness, and even ongoing resentment of the abuser. Out of many that suffer the emotional/psychological abuse, few seek treatment. There is little treatment recommended for this type of abuse as there is lack of evidence that any may work. Brief therapy is recommended with a focus on anger validation and interpersonal skill building, however, forgiveness therapy is a new form of treatment that focuses on forgiving an injustice and with helping with anxiety and depression as well as improving self-esteem (Reed & Enright, 2006, p.920). This therapy targets the ongoing resentment that can lead to the depression, anxiety, anger, and other psychological disparities (Reed & Enright, 2006...
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...Lin Article Critique: Part 3 Dustin T. Rheel Liberty University Counseling 503, D22 Professor Carlene Taylor December 9, 2012 Percentages are reported widely in academic journals to support a researcher’s findings. The percentages or numbers are utilized either support or reject the hypothesis. When a researcher does not utilize numbers or percentages whiting researcher it tends to mislead individuals who are reading the article. The Lin article started with 40 participants in the beginning of the study and by the end of the study they were left with 14 participants (Lin, Mack, Enright, Krahn, and Baskin article, 2004). The post test results examined the reaming 14 participants, seven in the experimental group and seven in the controlled group. Four months after the experiment, six of the experimental group remained available for follow up testing. In the controlled group only four participants were available for the same follow up testing. Lin et al. (2004) noted that during the research process participation varied among both the experimental and controlled groups. When reviewing the article it was noted that Line et al. (2004) did not distinguish between the pre-test scores and the post-test scores, making it difficult to compare the pre and post test results. When assessing whether the reader is able to understand the data presented, it is shown to be misleading to the readers. This is due to the inconsistent data. In addition some of the percentages are...
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...have to walk farther to get to the entrance in the rain. These types of little things can lead to conflicts with feelings of anger, so it is so important that we learn to forgive and move forward. Forgiveness is like a science, there is always room for more research or studies to determine how people are adapting to ways that help give them the ability to forgive or try to understand why some are holding back forgiveness. Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your...
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...has been a tremendous increase in research regarding intrapersonal forgiveness, but very little regarding self-forgiveness. The purpose of this article was to bring attention to the topic of self-forgiveness within this growing body of research. The definitions of self-forgiveness from many disciplines were reviewed along with what features of self-forgiveness differ from those of intrapersonal forgiveness emphasizing the need for an increase in empirical research on the subject matter. There are many unanswered questions regarding self-forgiveness. It is questioned if the true self-forgiveness yields the same result as pseudo self-forgiveness because both allow the person to feel better about them. While there is little research on the answer, it is doubtful because true forgiveness is built on self-evaluation and pseudo self-forgiveness is built on self despite. There is also a question of when self-forgiveness is appropriate. Many times a person blames his or herself for things that are not their fault. In this case should a person be told to learn to self-forgive? There are many questions regarding self-forgiveness that if given the time and research could be answered. Based on the little research available Hall and Fichman were able to develop a theoretical model of self-forgiveness to be used in future research. In this model the emotional, social, and offense related determinates of self-forgiveness where outlined and explained. The limitations of the model where then...
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...Running head: LIN ARTICLE CRITIQUE 1 Article Critique Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Anger, Mood, and Vulnerability to Substance Abuse Among Inpatient Substance-Dependent Clients Liberty University C. Campbell March 31, 2013 LIN ARTICLE CRITIQUE 2 Introduction In the article Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Anger, Mood and Vulnerability to Substance Use Among Inpatient Substance-Dependent Clients (Lin 2004) the researchers wanted to test Forgiveness Therapy (FT) as a tool for treating clients dealing with substance abuse related to negative emotional overload. They focused on anxiety, depression and anger which, according to Lin, are triggers for substance abuse (2004, pg. 1114). They set out to talk and interview forty three potential participants who were recommended by their counselors from a residential drug rehabilitation center. This population was chosen due to the rigid course of treatment they were already receiving from the treatment facility in response to the personal calamity being experiences by the client. These were the most severe cases since they usually experienced repeated relapses, petty crimes and a lower motivation for change. While conducting the research what they found was not really surprising but rather normal for this group of clients. The participation started to fall off and by the end of the research they had fallen to less than half of the original...
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... Lin Title and Introduction Article Critique This article is based on the potential benefits of forgiveness therapy. The authors, Lin et al, show interest in forgiveness therapy for inpatient substance-dependent clients and whether it will help to reduce anger, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, forgiveness, and vulnerability to drug use. Lin et al noticed that the level of anger and violence was higher in alcohol and other substance abusers in comparison to the general population, as recorded in previous studies. It is believed that certain triggers, anger and frustration, can cause relapse in both intrapersonal and interpersonal areas (Marlatt, 1985). Lin et al reviews previous study results based on the typical alcohol and drug therapy (Cognitive-Behavior therapy) where the participants are encouraged to be aware of their anger but not necessarily to decrease their anger or negative emotions. However, one study conducted by Reilly and Shopshire showed a decrease in levels of anger and an increase in anger control with a group of Pos -traumatic Stress disorder patients. The article refers to a group of researchers who have worked towards developing a new therapeutic approach to anger termed forgiveness therapy. They believe that unforgiveness can become problematic. The forgiveness therapy makes the recipients aware of forgiveness and not condoning of past injustices. The individual is given the choice to decide...
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...Running head: LIN ARTICLE CRITIQUE 1 Article Critique Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Anger, Mood, and Vulnerability to Substance Abuse Among Inpatient Substance-Dependent Clients Liberty University March 31, 2013 LIN ARTICLE CRITIQUE 2 Introduction In the article Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Anger, Mood and Vulnerability to Substance Use Among Inpatient Substance-Dependent Clients (Lin 2004) the researchers wanted to test Forgiveness Therapy (FT) as a tool for treating clients dealing with substance abuse related to negative emotional overload. They focused on anxiety, depression and anger which, according to Lin, are triggers for substance abuse (2004, pg. 1114). They set out to talk and interview forty three potential participants who were recommended by their counselors from a residential drug rehabilitation center. This population was chosen due to the rigid course of treatment they were already receiving from the treatment facility in response to the personal calamity being experiences by the client. These were the most severe cases since they usually experienced repeated relapses, petty crimes and a lower motivation for change. While conducting the research what they found was not really surprising but rather normal for this group of clients. The participation started to fall off and by the end of the research they had fallen to less than half of the original commitment...
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...A Review of the Effects of Forgiveness Therapy Liberty University A Review of the Effects of Forgiveness Therapy Reed's and Enright research on forgiveness has demonstrated that a forgiveness recovery program resulted in psychological benefits for women with a history of emotional abuse by a spouse or romantic partner. This review of Reed & Enright (2006) includes a summary of the article, a personal reflection of the material, and application points for future consideration. The article in review employed a case study format that puts forgiveness therapy and will be referred throughout this paper as FT and Alternative Treatment which will also be referred throughout this paper as AT under comparison in women who has experienced emotional and psychological abuse whom have been separated for 2 or more years with no interest on reconciliation. The main goals of the article were first to provide data that proves that FT is more beneficial for women as a therapeutic approach (Read & Enright, 2006). The two therapeutic strategies discussed in this article include: (a) Forgiveness Therapy, and (b) Alternative Treatment. The method of study was conducted of 20 women who fall into the description of psychologically abused between the ages of 32-54 from different ethnic, educational, racial and family dynamics. The design consisted of a control group that had limited contact with their former partner varied regardless of pre-existing children, were divided into 10 groups...
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...is not effectively dealt with. This article focuses on forgiveness therapy (FT) with an alternative treatment (AT), which deals with anger validation, assertiveness, and interpersonal skill building. The study mainly focuses on emotionally abused women who had been permanently separated from their abusive spouse for a little over two years. Individuals who participated in FT experienced significantly greater improvement than AT participants in categories such as depression, trait anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, self-esteem, forgiveness, environmental mastery, and finding meaning in suffering. Some of the methods used in this study were they examined 20 psychologically abused women from different ethnicity such as European Americans, Hispanic American, and Native American. They also determined their educational levels, employment status, the amount of children living with them, and if participants had been remarried or started a new relationship with a live-in partner. From their gathering of this information they determined that “Eighteen participants reported criticizing, 20 reported ridiculing, 15 reported jealous control, 20 reported purposeful ignoring, 5 reported threats of abandonment, 6 reported threats of personal harm, and 4 reported threats of harm to property or pets” (pg. 1). The study focused on women who were separated at least two years prior to the therapy to help prevent “false forgiveness” or working on forgiveness too early which could often lead to...
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...“Forgiveness is God’s command” (Martin Luther King Jr.). God says that every person deserves to be forgiven no matter what wrong they did, and every person should be quick to forgive. The action of forgiveness grows to become the major idea of the novel, The Shack, because Mack must forgive several important people in order to further his relationship with Christ. There are many cases throughout the novel where Mack must learn to forgive those who have hurt him deeply to better himself and his relationship. Research and multiple cases have continued to prove that forgiveness is a key aspect to maintaining a content life. William P. Young’s novel, The Shack, ties in this main goal of forgiveness and portrays the overall theme of forgiveness through the actions of Mack forgiving God, his father, and Missy’s killer. To begin, forgiving someone who caused severe pain and hurt can be hard, but it is definitely not impossible. Nearly every person in the world has been hurt...
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...the topic of forgiveness Chasity Webster PSY 400 Martin Methodist College Forgiveness is one of the most compassionate things that we can do for one another. The term is greatly misinterpreted and because of this it is not often given in the truest sense of the word. Forgiveness requires finding and feeling compassion and then being able to let go of anxiety, anger and yearning for revenge. Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for compassion, kindness and peace. In an article reviewing compassion, the authors define compassion as the feeling that arises in witnessing another’s suffering and that motivates a subsequent desire to help. The definition theorizes compassion as an affective state defined by a specific independent feeling, and it differs from treatment of compassion as an attitude (Goetz & et. al 2010). According to Webster’s Third Edition, to forgive is to cease to feel resentment against, on accord of wrong committed, to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon an offender, to absolve; pardon. Generally, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you might always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting...
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