Tagged: “Misconceptions”
Question 1 of 10: Forgiveness basically is to stop being angry. Is this correct?
The Internet is a double-edged sword. It can enlighten and quickly, but at the same time, it can mislead. When I searched the Internet for the definition and some general issues on forgiveness, I was surprised by a rising consensus in up to 10 areas, each of which seems odd to me. May I ask you to consider each one of these “discoveries” so that you can help me to understand better? Thank you in advance for your time.
That is too narrow a definition of forgiveness because it does not include a focus on the one who was unfair to you. For example, you could cease being angry by thinking, “The other is not worth my time.”
How can educators empower students to solve conflict with forgiveness?
Dr. Suzanne Freedman
Dr. Suzanne Freedman, a professor of human development and interpersonal forgiveness at the University of Northern Iowa and longtime team member of the IFI, recently gave an interview to an education website on how forgiveness can be helpful in conflict resolution among children and youth.
Check out the story by clicking on this link!
How long should I keep forgiving when my boyfriend never apologizes? Do I just stop the process of forgiving until he shapes up?
Your forgiving is a free-will choice that can be offered unconditionally. In other words, you can forgive regardless of your boyfriend’s response. This, at least, will help you to become free of resentment caused by his unfair actions. You certainly can wait to reconcile until he shows remorse (inner sorrow) and repentance (words expressing his sorrow with an intention to change).
What do you think of starting a norm of forgiveness in businesses? Colleagues can get angry with each other, creating a toxic environment in the workplace. Do you think planting such a norm of forgiveness would be worthwhile in organizations?
Yes, this is an important idea, and we have a research study showing the benefits of forgiveness within the workplace. Here is a reference to this article:
Zhao, C., Enright, R.D., & Klatt, J. (2017). Forgiveness education in the workplace: A new strategy for the management of anger. London Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 17, 11-24.
I am new to forgiveness. I am having trouble forgiving my spouse for a serious injustice. Help!
You might try these two strategies first: a) start by forgiving someone else who has hurt you for a lesser offense. This will give you practice on the forgiveness pathway; b) then try forgiving your spouse for a lesser offense. With this kind of practice in forgiving, you are building up what I call your forgiveness muscles for the harder task of forgiving your spouse for what you call the serious injustice.
