ABSTRACT
Forgiveness is considered a healthy reaction to the inevitable hardships that befall most relationships at one time or another (e.g. Enright, 2001; Hargrave, 1994a, 1994b; Waldron & Kelley, 2008; Worthington, 2005). Few debate its association with individual peace of mind and feeling connected to others (Bono et al, 2008) and, according to one study, 88 percent of mental health professionals consider it an important topic for their clients (Konstam et al, 2000). In addition to being associated with mental health, forgiveness is positively linked with physical health (e.g. Coker et al, 2000; Lawler et al, 2005; Whited et al, 2010), sleep quality (Stoia-Caraballo et al, 2008) and happiness (Macaskill, 2012). Parents who practice forgiveness have stronger parental alliances (Gordon et al, 2009). The findings have motivated researchers to more clearly define forgiveness and the ways in which it is enacted.
