Journal Article Review Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: a Meta-Analysis

Journal Article Review

Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta-Analysis

Liberty University

Summary

Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: a Meta-Analysis, is a Journal article written by Thomas W. Baskins and Robert D. Enright. In this article they examine forgiveness by looking at existing published interventions and theories related to forgiveness. In their study they came to the conclusion forgiveness can be viewed in three different ways; decision based, processed based group and processed based individual interventions. Concluding that processed based individual interventions with forgiveness showed the most results.

The study of forgiveness in counseling has emerged more recently, forgiveness has been around for thousands of years, however the way one forgives and understanding forgiveness is being examined more today. The article shows how much forgiveness is important in a counseling setting, any relationship forgiveness is important, even the relationship one has with themselves. Many can't move forward in life or move past a traumatic event if they have not forgiven someone else or themselves. Forgiving has been shown by early case studies to help one whom has had deep emotional hurt from being treated in a bad or unjust way (Baskin & Enright 2004).

The article also discusses the importance of defining forgiveness in order for forgiveness to become a part of a scientific study. Forgiveness is defined as “willful giving up of resentment in the face of another's (or others') considerable injustice and responding with beneficence to the offender even though that offender has no right to the forgiver's moral goodness (Baskin & Enright 2004).” After a clear definition of forgiveness was determined three different counseling models were examined in detail to determine the results forgiveness counseling has. Forgiveness counseling has been shown to benefits clients by reducing anger, depression,...