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Global Forgiveness Movement

  • Writer: Kate Jackson-Meyer
    Kate Jackson-Meyer
  • 3 hours ago
  • 2 min read

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The Global Forgiveness Movement at the Human Flourishing Program uses evidence-based interventions to make the world a more loving and forgiving place.

 


What is forgiveness? 


Forgiveness is replacing ill will with goodwill to those who have wronged us. This means desiring the flourishing of the offender, but without necessarily forgetting or forgoing justice. 


  • Forgiveness is compatible with accountability and truth.

  • Forgiveness requires a two-fold movement:

              1) a decision to forgive, and

              2) replacing negative emotions towards the offender with more positive emotions.



Should we forgive?


Our research shows that forgiveness is good for individual and communal health:


  • Forgiving those who have harmed us leads to flourishing because it allows us to let go of negative feelings that can undermine our health and wellbeing.

  • Forgiveness lowers depression and anxiety.

  • Forgiveness can, over time, help free one from rumination and hurt.



What is the REACH Model of Forgiveness?


Psychologist Everett Worthington’s REACH Forgiveness model is one of the most widely tested models of forgiveness, and is synthesized in Do-It-Yourself workbooks.


        (R) Recall  the interpersonal hurt one experienced and the emotions associated with it.

        (E) Try to empathize with the offender.

        (A) Explore the idea that forgiveness can be seen as an altruistic gift to the offender.

        (C) Make a voluntary commitment to forgive.

        (H) Seek to hold onto or maintain forgiveness through difficult times.



Does the REACH Workbook actually promote forgiveness and mental health?


The REACH Workbook is evidence-based. The Human Flourishing Program was involved in comprehensively testing the workbook:


  • The study was a randomized controlled trial with 4500 participants across 5 relatively high conflict countries: Colombia, South Africa, Ukraine, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

  • The results indicate that the workbook is effective in:

    • increasing forgiveness

    • reducing anxiety and reducing depression

    • increasing hope, and

    • increasing flourishing





References


We are grateful to be able to do this work through the generosity of Bancel Philanthropies and the Kern Family Foundation.


(See Long, K. N. G., Worthington, E. L., VanderWeele, T. J., O’Connor, L. E., Chen, Y., & Hook, J. N. (2020). Forgiveness of others and subsequent health and well-being in mid-life: A longitudinal study on female nurses. BMC Psychology, 8, 104. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00470-w)


(See Ho, M. Y., Worthington, E. L., Jr.,  Cowden, R. G., Bechara, A. O., Chen, Z. J., Gunatirin, E. Y., Joynt, S., Khalanskyi, V. V., Korzhov, H., Kurniati, N. M. T., Rodriguez, N., Salnykova, A., Shtanko, L., Tymchenko, S., Voytenko, V. L., Zulkaida, A., Mathur, M. B., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2024). International REACH forgiveness intervention: A multisite randomised controlled trial. BMJ Public Health, 2, e000072. DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000072)




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