Search

In this study we tested the effectiveness of a forgiveness intervention for young adults with insecure attachment to their mothers. Twenty-seven students from four universities in Taiwan were recruited and assigned to either a forgiveness intervention or an alternative treatment control group. Dependent measures were administered at pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up. Within-group analyses demonstrated the participants in the forgiveness intervention showed greater improvement on measures of attachment security, forgiveness, trait anxiety, hope, and self-esteem than the participants in the alternative treatment group. Effect sizes were in the medium to large range. Implications for research and practice with families are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined two forms of group therapy for adult children of alcoholics; a forgiveness intervention was compared to a conflict resolution intervention. Twelve adults were randomly assigned to the treatment conditions and completed the 12-week interventions. At the end of 12 weeks, the conflict resolution group received the forgiveness intervention whereas the original forgiveness group received no further treatment. Measures of forgiveness, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, anger, and positive relationships were administered before and after each intervention. Both groups showed significant psychological improvements suggesting forgiveness therapy is a viable option for adult children of alcoholics. The therapeutic implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the place of forgiveness within the Positive Youth Development (PYD) paradigm. We suggest knowledge of forgiveness can be advanced by understanding it from a developmental perspective. We review research indicating that forgiveness can contribute to positive developmental outcomes during adolescence and we explore theoretical relationships between forgiveness and three important components of the PYD perspective: the development of a moral identity, developmental assets and adolescents as co-producers of their development. These particular PYD concepts are discussed because of their relation to scholarly work on forgiveness and because they can provide a developmental perspective that may advance our understanding of forgiveness. Finally, we discuss the implications of conceptualising forgiveness from a PYD perspective for research on forgiveness and for forgiveness education. Research implications include examining how youth move from one point in the forgiveness process to the next, investigating forgiveness across transgressors and contexts and exploring individual differences in forgiveness. Implications for education include integrating forgiveness education into youth programmes, developing models of forgiveness and teaching youth strategies to gain self-awareness and increase intentional action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]