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We used a randomized quasi-experimental design to test the effectiveness of three types of perspective-taking condition in a forgiveness education program. Allport's Contact Hypothesis was used as a framework for the study design. Eighth graders (n?=?132) in an urban Midwestern city were invited to participate. We evaluated the effectiveness of perspective-taking approaches in promoting forgiveness and reducing prejudice, anger and emotional reactivity. We also explored the effects of forgiveness education across socially and culturally diverse groups. We did not find differences between the perspective-taking conditions; however, all three groups improved on both forgiveness and prejudice. We also found the pattern of outcomes was different for the African American participants than for the European American participants. Implications for research and education are discussed.

Although the literature on forgiveness is growing, little research exists on the process of forgiveness itself. This study was an initial effort to investigate the forgiveness process within a short-term longitudinal design. Participants (N = 41) completed 2 measures of forgiveness and a set of short-answer questions multiple times over 12 weeks. Participants made significant progress toward forgiveness, and the movement toward forgiveness was consistent with the Forgiveness Process Model (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2000). The qualitative data collected begin to identify the mechanisms people use to move through the forgiveness process. Implications for counseling are drawn. (Contains 4 tables.)

Forgiveness education has demonstrated psychological, social and academic benefits; however, it has not been discussed as a means of promoting character development for children and adolescents. In this paper, we discuss forgiveness as a moral concept and explain how forgiveness can contribute to current discussions of character education. After reviewing relevant literature we describe how a forgiveness programme can be an effective form of character education and attempt to clarify the contributions the forgiveness literature can make to the field of character education. We argue that forgiveness provides those interested in character development with a programme that can enhance educational initiatives and advance the character education research agenda.

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.

The aim of this study was to investigate maternal grief after losing a child in relation to forgiveness and posttraumatic growth. A sample of 60 grieving mothers from Slovakia completed the following battery: The Texas Revised Inventory of Grief, a modified version of the Enright Forgiveness Inventory, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. The results showed a negative association between forgiveness and grief and a strong positive association between forgiveness and posttraumatic growth, which was not moderated by the time elapsed since the loss. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 mothers. The data were analyzed through Consensual Qualitative Research to gain deeper understanding of forgiveness and posttraumatic growth experiences after the loss of a child. Categories and subcategories are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on the seven signs in the Gospel of John which include changing water in wine at the wedding in Cana, healing the son of a nobleman, and healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda.