Increasing Forgiveness: design of two brief techniques based on the Social Learning Theory.

Abstract

Forgiveness is a human strength mainly helpful for the wellbeing of social relationships. Research has showed the potential benefits of forgiving for physical and mental health as well as for restoring relationships. As a result and linked to the upsurge of Positive Psychology a variety of interventions seeking to improve forgiving have been successfully developed. The main goal of the dissertation presented here is to test the effectiveness of two brief self- designed techniques in the promotion of episodic and dispositional forgiveness. Both techniques were designed based on the Social Learning Theory, particularly on the idea of Modeling, and assuming that forgiveness is a human strength that might be susceptible of being enhanced thru observational learning. To accomplish our goal we conducted two experimental studies. In the first one, we assessed the efficiency of an Observational Learning Technique in facilitating forgiveness of a concrete offense and/or the general disposition to forgive. In the second study, we investigated whether a Reading Testimony Technique also enhances forgiveness. Participants in both studies were undergraduate or graduate students recruited from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Study 1) and the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Study 1 and 2). Results indicated that both techniques were useful to promote forgiveness of a specific offense but not to significantly raise disposition to forgive. The main contribution into the research of forgiveness’ interventions is the proposing of two new techniques that could be included in wider processes of forgiveness’ interventions and the demonstration that effectiveness of a technique might be not contrary to briefness.