Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

) begin to unfold, it is important to ask if these interventions can consistently demonstrate salient positive effects on levels of forgiveness and on the mental health of targeted clients.The purpose of this article is to analyze via meta-analysis the existing published interventions on forgiveness. Metaanalysis is a popular vehicle of synthesizing results across multiple studies. Recent successful uses of this method include the study by McCullough (1999), who analyzed five studies that compared the efficacy for depression of standard approaches with counseling with religion-accommodative approaches. Furthermore, in order to reach conclusions about the influence of hypnotherapy on treatment for clients with obesity, Allison and Faith (1996) used metaanalysis to examine six studies that compared the efficacy of using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone with the use of CBT combined with hypnotherapy. Finally, Morris, Audet, Angelillo, Chalmers, and Mosteller (1992) used metaanalysis to combine the results of 10 studies with contradictory findings to show that the benefits of chlorinating drinking water far outweighed the risks. Although there may be some concern that using forgiveness as an intervention in counseling is in too early a stage of development and that too few studies exist for a proper meta-analysis, the effectiveness of these recent meta-analyses supports this metaanalytic investigation. Certainly any findings must be tempered with due caution. However, this analysis may serve as important guidance for the structure and development of future counseling studies of forgiveness.We first examine the early work in forgiveness interventions by examining the early case studies. From there, we define forgiveness, discuss the models of forgiveness in counseling and the empirically based interventions, and then turn to the meta-analysis. EARLY CASE STUDIESThe early clinical case studies suggested that forgiveness might be helpful for people who have experienced deep emotional pain because of unjust treatment. For example, Hunter (1978) reported on Harriet, a 25-year-old woman with acute emotional distress. Harriet's mother frequently condemned her daughter for the slightest deviation from her unreasonably high standards. Harriet's anger toward her mother eventually led to symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition, she started showing such externalizing symptoms as excessive anger and frustration directed at family members. With Hunter's help, Harriet came to understand how she was reacting to her own victimization by victimizing others. In counseling, she was able to see her parents as capable of both good and bad behaviors. Forgiving her parents allowed her to take greater responsibility for her own behavior; she did not have to belittle others. Forgiving her parents allowed Harriet to experience a greater self-acceptance and to establish meaningful friendships.One of Kaufman's (1986) Thomas W. Baskin, Department of Counseling Psychology, 321 Education Building-1000 Bascom Mall, University of ...

Exploring the dimensionality of the TRIM-18 in the Spanish context

“…Forgiveness is distinguished from condoning, excusing, reconciling and forgetting (Baskin & Enright, 2004). Although there is no universal definition of forgiveness, it is generally accepted that when a person forgives, his or her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward the offender become less negative and more positive (McCullough, Kilpatrick, Emmons, & Larson, 2001).…”

The effectiveness of forgiveness therapy for wives of alcoholics

“…[19,23] Forgiveness, in other words, is a process, not a single event. According to Enright's FT process model, forgiveness changes the affect, cognition, and behavior on the offender.…”

“…[18] Baskin and Enright define forgiveness as "willfully giving-up of resentment in the face of another person's considerable injustice and responding with beneficence to the offender even though that offender has no right to the forgiver's moral goodness". [19] Also, Lundahl et al claim that true forgiveness is a healthy response that can provide hope and confidence for the victim by alleviating the burden of past emotional pain. [20] Forgiveness interventions are designed to benefit not only the victim, but also the forgiver, as the concept is not dependent on the actions of others.…”

Diagnosing child sex abuse: A research challenge.

“…Literature supporting the use of techniques to foster forgiveness will be reviewed and integrated into the new IJBCT model that we are proposing. More importantly than the term being important to clinicians, interventions fostering forgiveness appears to have a strong psychological impact on an individual's emotional adjustment (Baskin & Enright, 2004). While the standard treatment effect size across traditional psychotherapies is approximately .82 (Bergin, 1994), the meta-analytic results show forgiveness interventions have an effect size of 1.42 (Baskin & Enright, 2004).…”