Development and initial validation of a comprehensive model of forgiveness following interpersonal conflict

Psychological research on forgiveness has become increasingly prevalent over the past several years. However, there remain significant gaps in the theory guiding this research. This dissertation developed and tested a comprehensive model of the state forgiveness process across two studies. The first study used a constructivist grounded theory approach to discover the major themes in the forgiveness process. Thirteen interviewees discussed recent experiences of having been wronged by someone. From these interviews seven major categories emerged: history, the event, immediate aftermath, festering, fading, apology, and letting go and moving on. The second study tested the validity and usefulness of the model using questionnaire data from 185 university students. The hypotheses in the second study fell under two aims: identifying significant predictors of state forgiveness and identifying important life outcomes predicted by forgiveness. All hypotheses, with the exception of one, regarding main effects were fully or partially supported; however, those involving interaction effects were not supported. Modifications were made to the proposed model based on results from both studies within the context of past findings in the forgiveness literature. Overall, the model performed well under scrutiny and proved useful in guiding hypothesis development and results interpretation. Implications and limitations of the present findings are discussed in detail as well as directions for future research