ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to demonstrate possible connections between forgiveness and continuing bond (CB). It explores the concept and research on forgiveness. Theory and research suggest that almost universally, people engaging in the forgiveness process report decreases in negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors vis-a-vis the offender. Although the research on the forgiveness–CB connection is in its infancy, several decades of investigation substantiate a cluster of negative interpersonal experiences – anger, blame, and insecure attachment – that are related to poor bereavement outcomes. It seems reasonable to hypothesize that forgiveness may lead a person to be open to some forms of bonds that endure after a person's death. Several empirical projects relating attachment and CB have been published. Specifically, low levels of forgiveness may lead to either lack of CB or a form of CB that is maladaptive, as the offended party continues to struggle with anger and blame. Yet forgiveness shows little relationship with the type of CB.
