Forgiveness of Interpersonal Offenses in Younger and Older Roman Catholic Women |
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Authors: | Catherine Romero David B Mitchell |
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Institution: | (1) The Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA;(2) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA |
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Abstract: | Forgiveness involves replacing negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with constructive responses following an interpersonal
offense. Although older adults report themselves to be more forgiving than younger adults, it is unclear why. The current
study examined forgiveness of specific offenses in two samples of Roman Catholic women. Participants wrote about an interpersonal
offense and completed a multi-dimensional measure of forgiveness with regard to the offense. On 5 of 10 dimensions, older
women (n = 26; mean age = 74 years) were significantly more forgiving of specific offenses than were younger women (n = 37; mean age = 19 years). Religiousness/spirituality and current hurt/anger about the offense partially mediated the associations
between age group and forgiveness. The results support models of successful aging, with older women showing greater likelihood
of responding to interpersonal conflicts with forgiveness. |
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Keywords: | Forgiveness Spirituality Religion Interpersonal relationships |
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