Tagged: “Dr. Robert Enright”

I am amazed that some people still do not understand and appreciate forgiveness, whether it is the giving or the receiving of it. Why are there so many people who don’t understand or accept forgiveness?

I think one reason why people do not understand forgiveness is because we so rarely take forgiveness deeply seriously in any society.  For example, when have you heard, in a family or a classroom, an extended discussion of what forgiveness is and why it is important?  I think it is time to change that and start discussions of what forgiveness is and what it is not.  Why some reject forgiveness, I think, has two answers.  First, some people misunderstand forgiveness as weakness or as automatic reconciliation with hurtful other people.  Second, some people are so profoundly angry that their resentment then gets in the way of their own healing as they reject the idea of forgiveness.

From your studies, when in human history was there a first mention of the inherent worth of all persons?

From my own studies, I think this idea of the inherent worth of all persons first appeared in Hebrew scripture thousands of years ago, in their very first book of Hebrew scripture, Genesis 1, where it says that people are made in the image and likeness of God. The idea is repeated in that same chapter. Given that the Hebrews knew God as infinitely worthwhile, it follows that people also have worth, even if they behave unjustly toward you.

A tornado recently destroyed part of my community. It has been rumored that someone called on us to “take the higher ground and forgive.” This does not seem quite right to me. What is your opinion?

Because forgiveness is a moral virtue, it concerns goodness toward persons not inanimate objects. A goal of forgiving is to possibly enter into a new relationship with another person. Because you cannot enter into a relationship with a tornado, it follows that you do not forgive such weather events.

Are you sure that forgiveness is a process? I have been taught that if I say, “I forgive you,” that is sufficient and forgiving has been completed.

Saying, “I forgive you” is a good step if you truly mean it from the heart. People can say, “I forgive you” to a boss who requests forgiveness, but the “I forgive you” is said insincerely to keep a job, as resentment remains. In other words, saying “I forgive you” can be part of forgiving, but please keep in mind that forgiving includes an internal transformation of reduced anger and a softened heart toward the one who offended. If deep anger remains in your heart, then you may need to reduce that anger, otherwise you could be trapped with resentment for a long time to come. That would not be fair to you or to a genuinely improved relationship.

Forgiveness Research Tools Flying Out the Door and Around the World

When The Christian Science Monitor called him “the father of forgiveness research” nearly 20 years ago (Dec. 19, 2002), Dr. Robert Enright, a University of Wisconsin-Madison educational psychology professor, had just completed what the news organization called “the first study ever to show a cause-and-effect finding regarding physical health. . . and forgiveness.”

Today, as Dr. Enright nudges close to 37 years of forgiveness study and interventions, his research tools and techniques have become the preferred instruments of social scientists and researchers around the world. To stimulate even further growth in the burgeoning field, the forgiveness pioneer is giving his research tools away at no cost and with no strings attached.

On April 20 of this year, Dr. Enright announced that the non-profit educational organization he founded–the International Forgiveness Institute (IFI)–would provide his highly regarded scientific research tools absolutely free to any forgiveness researcher who requested them. In just the four months since then, the IFI has received and fulfilled orders for 252 copies of his individual tool documents from researchers in 21 foreign countries and 27 US states.

The free research tools available from the IFI and the number of copies distributed since April include:

• The Enright Self-Forgiveness Inventory (ESFI) – 76 Requests
  This measure is based on the conceptualization of forgiveness as a moral virtue. The ESFI is a 30-item scale featuring six subscales with five items each. Five additional items at the end of the scale allow for measurement of Pseudo Self-Forgiveness (PSF). Although several competing self-forgiveness measures exist, Dr. Enright’s is the only one that captures the idea that self-forgiveness is a moral virtue that includes behavior toward the self.
  
• The Enright Forgiveness Inventory-30 (EFI-30) – 85 Requests
  This tool is a shorter version of the Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Adults that has become the interpersonal forgiveness measure of choice for research professionals in the U.S. and abroad since its development in 1995. The EFI-30 reduces the number of items from 60 to 30 for the purpose of a more practical assessment of this construct. Data from the United States were used in the creation of the new measure and applied to seven nations: Austria, Brazil, Israel, Korea, Norway, Pakistan, and Taiwan to develop its psychometric validation.
  
• The Enright Group Forgiveness Inventory (EGFI) – 44 Requests
  The EGFI has 56 items across seven subscales with each subscale having eight items. Those subscales measure a group’s motivation and values regarding forgiveness, peace, and friendliness toward the other group. The instrument is a valuable tool that could enhance peace efforts in the world. The EGFI was validated and published earlier this year by Dr. Enright and a team of 16 international researchers who collected data from 595 study participants in three different geographic and cultural settings of the world—China and Taiwan, Slovenia, and the US.
  
• The Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Children (EFI-C) – 47 Requests
  The EFI-C is an objective measure of the degree to which a child forgives another who has hurt him or her deeply and unfairly. It is a 30-item scale similar to the 60-item adult version and is presented orally to very young children and in writing to those who can read well. Thanks to a researcher in Pakistan, the EFI-C is now available in the Urdu language—the native language of an estimated 230 million people, primarily in South Asia.
  

“Making these tools available to researchers at no cost is one way to grow the repository of forgiveness knowledge,” Dr. Enright explained. “This area of moral development has produced significant advancements in the areas of education, medical treatment, and therapy, so why not encourage others to help expand that information base?”

“There’s no getting around it – forgiveness is good for you and holding a grudge is not.”
-The Christian Science Monitor

• Learn more and order Dr. Enright’s free tools on the Forgiveness Research Tools page.
• Read how the EFI-30 was tested and validated in 8 countries around the world.
• Read the entire forgiveness article in The Christian Science Monitor.