RESEARCH PROJECT

Forgiveness and Relational Spirituality

This long-term research study is examining the interrelationships and connections of spirituality and forgiveness in three integrated studies in Virginia, Florida, and Minnesota.

The work comes out of Fetzer's intent to support innovative research on forgiveness and especially encourage research that examines the relationship between forgiveness and individual spirituality.

Forgiveness is a deeply spiritual concept for individuals from many faiths and cultures. Often general discussions and talks about forgiveness begin with a basic review of the importance of forgiveness within the major religious traditions of the world. Research indicates that when people talk about forgiveness, they usually do so within a religious framework and often with religious language and imagery. It is therefore surprising how little research in the field of social psychology examines the relationship of forgiveness and spirituality.

Everett Worthington (Virginia Commonwealth University), Steven Sandage (Bethel University), and Michael McCullough (University of Miami) developed a model of relational spirituality that involves relationships to the sacred and its connection to forgiveness. This study tests the model with three populations.

Virginia Commonwealth University: This study includes young couples where the wife is pregnant for the first time. Couples are pre-selected for conflict issues. The study considers whether and how such conflicts in the relationship are forgiven over time and how the spirituality of the partners and couples interfaces with this forgiveness process.

Bethel University, Minnesota: This study includes graduate students in seminary training for the helping professions. It examines dispositional forgiveness of the students and changes in spiritual development, secure attachment, openness, strivings and spiritual practices.

University of Miami, Florida: This study adds on to a four-year National Institute of Mental Health-funded study to examine spirituality as a change process using physiological and emotional methods and examining the links to individual forgiveness.

Each of the research sites indicates ongoing progress on the project, which is scheduled to end in 2010.

Publications

Worthington E. L. Jr. (in press). A just forgiveness: Responsible healing without excusing injustice. Downers Grove (Ill.): InterVarsity Press; in press, due for release October 2009.

Davis D.E., Hook J.N., Worthington E.L. Jr. Relational spirituality and forgiveness: The roles of attachment to God, religious coping, and viewing the transgression as a desecration. Journal of Psychology and Christianity 2008 27, 293-301.

Sandage S.J., Williamson I. (in press). Forgiveness and relational spirituality: A structural equations model. Journal of Psychology and Theology.

McCullough M.E., Kurzban R., Tabak B.A. (in press). Adapted mechanisms for revenge and forgiveness. In M. Mikulincer and P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Understanding and reducing aggression, violence, and their consequences. Washington (DC): American Psychological Association.

Worthington E.L., Jr., Davis D.E., Sandage S.J., McCullough M.E., Hook J.N. Forgiveness, relational spirituality, and empathy. In Anson Shupe & Christopher Bradley (Eds.), Empathy and Religion. (2008). City: Publisher.