Empathy In the Process of Forgiveness

• “You don't have to accept the invitation to get angry.

Instead, practice forgiveness, empathy and

encouragement” said by Dan Fallon.

Definition of empathy

• Empathy can be conceptualized broadly as the ability

to understand and relate to the cognitive and affective

experiences of another (Wade & Worthington, 2005).

Origin of term “empathy”

• The term empathy is of relatively recent origin,

having been coined by Titchener in 1909.

Stages

• Awareness of Self

• Understanding of emotions

• Enhance sensitivity to the feelings of others

• Take the perspective of the other person

Dimensions of empathy

• Davis, Hull, Young and Warren (1983) describe

conceptual model of empathy has three dimensions.

• Perspective taking

• Empathetic concern

• Personal distress

Definition of Forgiveness

• Forgiveness can be seen as a process of setting aside

negative emotions, thoughts and behaviors, or

motivations of avoidance or revenge towards a

transgressor and transforming them into more positive

emotions, thoughts, motivations and possibly behaviors

(Hodgson & Wertheim, 2007).

Unforgiveness Forgiveness

• Selfish love

• Anger

• Fear

• Unempathetic

behavior

• Hate

• Hurt feelings

• Offences

• Unselfish love

• Empathy behaviour

• Compassion for self and other

Replaced

Some facts……

(McCllough, Worthington & Rachal, 1997)

UnforgivenessPositively

correlated with

anxiety,

depression and

neuroticism

(Lyubomirsky,

2007).

Increased

cardiovascular response

and negatively affect

the immune system

(Worthington and

Scherer, 2003).

Associated

with

premature

death

(Witvliet et

al., 2001).

Relationship with empathy

Perspective

takingStrongly

correlated

Personal

distress

Empathetic

concern

Not

strongly

correlated

Correlated

in some

studies

How empathy is in the process of

forgiveness?

• Empathy has a prominent role in the forgiveness theory

and research.

• According to forgiveness theories, empathy can

potentially help to counter negative, stable and global

views of an offender and other describes it as

fundamental attribution error that takes place during

conflict.

This error involves seeing one’s own actions as a

result of external situation and contextual factors

(and as therefore understandable and open to

improvement), while viewing offender’s actions

as a result of the person they are, which is stable

and unchanging over time

When empathy occurs….

Negative, stable and global attributions about an offender (i.e.

the offender is a bad man) and the cause of the transgression are

REPLACED

with the broader view of the offender and the offence

(Hodgson & Wertheim, 2007).

In this way……

• The offence becomes attributed to a series of specific

unfolding events, and the offender is viewed as a

human who, like all of us is imperfect.

• This new perspective can help injured parties

compassionately understand the situation and resolve

the conflict.

Final consideration in promoting

empathy and forgiveness

• An important distinction in the forgiveness

literature involves the notion that forgiveness is

not condoning another’s action.

• It is inappropriate to uniformly encourage all

injured parties to forgive their transgressor in

case of repeated or severe offences.

Continued….

• Regardless of whether forgiveness is considered

appropriate or inappropriate in a particular context,

there is a general consensus that deep hurts experienced

by injured parties need to be respected through

carefully approaching the timing and context of

promoting empathy towards an offender and through

empowering injured parties to come to their own

decisions about whether and how to forgive.

Empathy building interventions to foster

forgiveness

• Psycho-education

• Empathy building exercises (Wade & Worthington,

2005).

Role in Peace Psychology

• By forgiving others, we contribute in spreading of

peace.

• It has role in removal of conflicts.

• It prevents from building of negative emotions.

• It helps in understanding other individual’s feelings

and emotions.

• It helps in making strong and honest relationships.

• Empathy means to understand a matter according to

another’s point of view and forgiveness means setting

aside negative emotions and replace them with positive

emotions. If we will not empathize with other person,

we cannot forgive him. When we did not forgive other

person, we feel a burden on our heart. Researches had

found a relationship between empathy and forgiveness.

People who had a disposition to empathize, are more

prone to forgive other person. Forgiveness and

empathy has role in overall spreading of peace. There

are techniques which can enhance empathy disposition

and ultimately helped in forgiveness process.

Summary

References• Davis, M. H., Hull, J.G., Young, R. D., & Warren, G. G. (1983). Measuring

Individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a unidimensional approach.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 113-126.

• Hodgson, L. K., & Wertheim, E. H. (2007). Does good emotion management

aid in the process of forgiving? An examination of the role of multiple

dimensions of empathy in the relationship between emotion

management and forgiveness of self and others. Journal of Social and

Personal Relationships, 24, 931-949.

• McCullough, M. E., Worthington, E.L., & Rachal, K.C. (1997). Interpersonal

forgiving in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 73, 321-336.

• Wade, N. G., & Worthington, E.L. (2005). In search of a common error: A content

analysis of interventions to promote forgiveness. Psychotherapy: Theory,

Research, Practice, Training, 42, 160-177.