Still Waters Run Deep: Humility as a Master Virtue

Lavelock, Caroline R.; Worthington, Everett L.; Griffin, Brandon J.; Garthe, Rachel C.; Elnasseh, Aaliah; Davis, Don E.; Hook, Joshua N.

doi:10.1177/009164711704500404

Cited by 35 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In Harper et al (2014), there was a d = 0.08/h change for forgiving an identified hurt. In Lavelock et al (2017), a d = 0.08/h change for trait forgiveness, not a specific instance of forgiveness. In a Christian workbook study by Greer et al (2014), for Christians who have been hurt by other Christians, there was a d = 0.2/h change, which is twice the effect in secular treatments.…”

Section: Do-it-yourself Workbooksmentioning

confidence: 93%

Forgiveness in Committed Couples: Its Synergy with Humility, Justice, and Reconciliation

2018

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Theologians, pastors, and psychological help-providers have not always worked harmoniously. This can be especially true with couples. Theological and pastoral help-providers value marriage as sacred and are reluctant to entertain ending it. Most psychotherapists have more training and experience in individual psychotherapy than in couple therapy. Drawing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, we appeal to theologians, pastors, and psychological help-givers to work together. We examine ways that psychological findings might inform theology and pastoral practice. As an example, we use forgiveness in committed romantic relationships. What causes strong couple relationships are the formation, strengthening, maintenance, and (when damaged) repair of ruptures in the emotional bond. Thus, forgiveness is one major cause of good marriage. Forgiveness requires being oriented toward the other person’s welfare, and in humility responding to wrongdoing mercifully. Forgiving in committed relationships seeks a net positive emotional valence toward the partner built on empathy, humility, and responsibility. Good relationships also involve self-forgiveness when one feels self-condemnation over one’s own misdeeds. For help-givers, humility is a key to promoting relational experiences of virtue. We show that forgiveness is related to health. Religiously oriented help-providers can promote better relationships and better health by fostering forgiveness.

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Section: Do-it-yourself Workbooksmentioning

confidence: 93%

Forgiveness in Committed Couples: Its Synergy with Humility, Justice, and Reconciliation

2018

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“…Building from these levels, we hypothesize a meta approach that offers wholeness as an overarching final level. Many researchers have discussed a master strength representing a higher arching virtue by which the other strengths pass through to operate or optimally express themselves – for example, self-regulation ( Baumeister and Vohs, 2004 ), love ( Vaillant, 2008 ), humility ( Lavelock et al, 2017 ), and perspective/social intelligence (practical wisdom; Schwartz and Sharpe, 2006 ). We offer another perspective: wholeness.…”

Section: The Harmony Of Spirituality and Character Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Decoding of the Human Spirit: A Synergy of Spirituality and Character Strengths Toward Wholeness

2020

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Little attention has been given to the integral relationship between character strengths and spirituality (the search for or communing with the sacred to derive meaning and purpose). The science of character strengths has surged in recent years with hundreds of studies, yet with minimal attention to spirituality or the literature thereof. At the same time, the science of spirituality has steadily unfolded over the last few decades and has offered only occasional attention to select strengths of character (e.g., humility, love, and forgiveness) or the universal typology of the VIA classification of character strengths and virtues. In this exploration, we argue that there is a robust synergy of these sciences and practices revealing that spirituality is vitally concerned with promoting character strengths. At the same time, character strengths can enhance and deepen spiritual practices, rituals, and experiences. We elaborate on how character strengths and spirituality come together in the context of the psycho-spiritual journey toward wholeness. By wholeness, we are referring to a way of being in the world that involves a life-affirming view of oneself and the world, a capacity to see and approach life with breadth and depth and the ability to organize the life journey into a cohesive whole. We further discuss six levels by which spirituality can be integrated within the VIA Classification, including a meta-perspective in which wholeness represents a meta-strength or superordinate virtue. We frame two pathways of integration: the grounding path, in which character strengths offer tangibility and thereby deepen and enhance spirituality, and the sanctification path, in which spirituality elevates character strengths. Finally, we turn to research-based practices and examine how character strengths might facilitate and contribute to spiritual practices and, conversely, how spirituality might enhance character strength practices. Such multifaceted integration offers insight and wisdom to both areas of study and opens up new directions for psycho-spiritual research and practices to deepen and broaden our understanding of what it means to be human.

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“…The REACH Forgiveness program has several versions. Self-directed learners may wish to do-it-themselves with a DIY Microsoft Word-based no-cost workbook (Greer, Worthington, Lin, Lavelock, & Griffin, 2014; Lavelock et al, 2017; Nation, Wertheim, & Worthington, 2018) or complete the program online (Nation et al, 2018). Efficacy studies of the various versions of DIY REACH Forgiveness have been rigorous RCTs utilizing workbook (or online) materials that engaged participants in about six hours of REACH Forgiveness exercises.…”

Section: Reach Forgiveness Efficacy Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Forgiveness at a Christian College: A Comparison of the REACH Forgiveness and Forgive for Good Methods

Toussaint

Griffin

Worthington

et al. 2020

Journal of Psychology and Theology

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The present study is the first randomized, controlled trial comparing REACH Forgiveness and Forgive for Good, two of the most commonly used approaches to promote forgiveness. Additionally, the combined effects of psychoeducation and a community forgiveness intervention were examined. Psychoeducation participants were 99 Luther College students randomly assigned to six hours of one of two types of forgiveness training led by undergraduate facilitators or a control condition. The community forgiveness intervention involved campus-wide modifications to the environment that were difficult for most students to not notice. Unforgiveness and forgiveness were measured at pre-, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up. Both forgiveness groups reported decreased unforgiveness and increased forgiveness pre- to post-intervention, and these gains were maintained at follow-up. Both methods were found to be equally effective, can be taught by undergraduates, and were effective in tandem with a community intervention.

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Still Waters Run Deep: Humility as a Master Virtue

Cited by 35 publications

References 44 publications

Forgiveness in Committed Couples: Its Synergy with Humility, Justice, and Reconciliation

Forgiveness in Committed Couples: Its Synergy with Humility, Justice, and Reconciliation

The Decoding of the Human Spirit: A Synergy of Spirituality and Character Strengths Toward Wholeness

Promoting Forgiveness at a Christian College: A Comparison of the REACH Forgiveness and Forgive for Good Methods

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