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Forgiveness and Mental Health

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Forgiveness and Health

Abstract

We report a decade review of studies conducted to investigate the relationship between forgiveness and mental health. The salutary effects of forgiveness among victims of offense are summarized according to four propositions: (1) Unforgiveness is a stress-reaction related to poor mental health, (2) Forgiveness is a co** strategy related to improved mental health, (3) Individual differences moderate the impact of forgiveness on health, and (4) Psychological states mediate the impact of forgiveness on health. In addition, perpetrators of offense who seek and receive forgiveness as well as perpetrators who forgive themselves experience better mental health. We conclude that empirical evidence supports the application of forgiveness as a mechanism to promote better mental health among victims and perpetrators of interpersonal harm.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    *Appears in Chapter and in Summary Table; **Appears only in Summary Table.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Brandon J. Griffin, Everett L. Worthington Jr. & Caroline R. Lavelock

  2. Department of Psychology, W117 Lagomarcino Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Nathaniel G. Wade

  3. Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    William T. Hoyt

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  1. Brandon J. Griffin
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  2. Everett L. Worthington Jr.
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  3. Caroline R. Lavelock
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  4. Nathaniel G. Wade
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  5. William T. Hoyt
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Correspondence to Brandon J. Griffin or Everett L. Worthington Jr. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, USA

    Loren Toussaint

  2. Dept of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Everett Worthington

  3. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    David R. Williams

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Griffin, B.J., Worthington, E.L., Lavelock, C.R., Wade, N.G., Hoyt, W.T. (2015). Forgiveness and Mental Health. In: Toussaint, L., Worthington, E., Williams, D. (eds) Forgiveness and Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9993-5_6

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