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ARHAT VACANA Kundakunda Janapitha, Indorer
Vol. - 24, Issue 1, January - March, 2012, 67-74 Relevance of Forgiveness for Psychological Well-Being of
Humanity Dr. Saroj Kothari*
Abstract
Forgiveness is a healing journey for body and soul. Many of the world religions have advocated the concept of forgiveness as a productive response to transgression. Forgiveness is a willful process in which the forgiver chooses not to retaliate but rather responds to the offender in a loving way. The psychological literature tends to focus on the benefits of forgiveness for the forgiver and the role of forgiveness in the therapeutic and healing process. The psychological response that is forgiveness includes the absence of negative effect, judgment, and behaviour towards the perpetrator and the presence of positive effect, judgment and behaviour. Forgiveness is a suite of prosocial motivational changes that occur after a person has incurred a transgression. People who are inclined to forgive their transgressors tend to be more agreeable, more emotionally stable, and more spiritually or religiously inclined. When people forgive, the probabilty of restoring benevolent and harmonious interpersonal relations with their transgressors is increased.
Psychological well-being is the state of feeling healthy and happy, having satisfaciton, relaxation, pleasure, and peace of mind. Psychological wellbeing includes majority of characteristics of the healthy person; a sense of control, realistic beliefs, spontaniety and emotional responsiveness, intellectual stimulation, problem solving, creativity and sense of humor. When people forgive a transgressor, they become less motivated by revenge and avoidance and more motivated by benevolence toward the transgressor.
The present study examined the role of forgiveness in determining psychological well-being of adults. Transgression-Related Interpesonal Motivations (TRIM-18) Inventory (McCllough, 1998) and Psychological Well-Being (PWB) Scale (Ryff, 1995) were used. The results revealed that forgiveness is a central component of psychological well-being and that it affects all the dimensions of psychological well-being i.e. autonomy, environmetal mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self acceptance in positive terms.
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Professor & Head, Department of Psychology, Government M.L.B. P.G. Girls College, Indore (M.P.)
