Journal of Psychology and Theology

Numerous accounts of research on promoting forgiveness in group settings have been published, indicating that forgiveness can be promoted successfully in varying degrees. Many have suggested that empathy-based interventions are often successful. It takes time to develop empathy for an offender. We report three studies of very brief attempts to promote forgiveness in psychoeducational group settings. The studies use ten-minute, one-hour, two-hour, and 130–minute interventions with college students. The studies test whether various components–-namely, pre-intervention videotapes and a letter-writing exercise–-of a more complex model (the Pyramid Model to REACH Forgiveness) can produce forgiveness. Each study is reported on its own merits, but the main lesson is that the amount of forgiveness is related to time that participants spend empathizing with the transgressor. A brief intervention of two hours or less will probably not reliably promote much forgiveness; however, one might argue that it starts people on the road to forgiving.

While research on granting forgiveness has exploded recently, no theoretical or empirical attention has been directed at seeking forgiveness. We lay a theoretical base for the study of seeking forgiveness and report our initial study bearing on the concept. We investigate the potential role of some personality and developmental factors that might promote seeking forgiveness. Students (N = 232) who indicated having transgressed against a partner in the past year completed questionnaires on religiosity, age, developmental level of reasoning about forgiveness, narcissism, self-monitoring, and the level to which they had sought forgiveness. Neither religiosity nor age significantly predicted seeking forgiveness. Developmental level of reasoning about forgiveness predicted seeking forgiveness beyond religiosity and age. Narcissism and self-monitoring significantly predicted seeking forgiveness. We outline limitations of the study and implications for future research, clinical practice, and integration.

In contrast to the prevailing wisdom of many Christian and secular psychologists, biblical studies scholar T. Martin (1997) claims that a Christian has an obligation not to forgive an unrepentant offender. In this article, I analyze each of his points, offer more evidence from the writings of the early Church, and reach the following conclusion: Although we must always remember that reconciliation between victim and offender is the goal in Christian relationships, subtle distinctions between God's forgiveness of humans or the Church's reconciliation with offenders (on the one hand) and forgiveness between two individual Christians (on the other hand) allow us to maintain that Christians can and should forgive unrepentant offenders, at least as forgiveness is defined in the psychological tradition. I end with a series of forgiveness-related challenges and questions for scholars in biblical studies, theology, and psychology.

Recently, there has been a growing trend in the professional literature to address the question: “In what ways should spiritual interventions be used in counseling, with which clients, and under which circumstances?” However, few therapists have received training and supervised experience in incorporating spiritual interventions into their work. This article briefly addresses the purpose and prevalence of Christian spiritual interventions and proposes a series of progressive legal and ethical decision-making steps to improve therapists' skills in incorporating such interventions into psychotherapy. The initial steps include an assessment of the therapist's role, the setting of therapy, and the presenting problem of the client. Additional steps include obtaining informed consent, evaluating a therapist's competency, maintaining professional and scientific responsibility, respecting the client's religious values, documenting the use of spiritual interventions, making appropriate financial arrangements, and promoting the welfare of the client.

Enormous sociopolitical changes in Eastern Europe in the last decade have had a profound impact on the psychological functioning of the citizens of these nations. In order to assess and intervene in the mental health realm in Eastern Europe, a brief survey was sent to various Christian leaders in Eastern Europe. Common mental health problems identified across the various Eastern European countries and cultures include depression, relationship difficulties, alcohol abuse, and anxiety disorders. Christians in Eastern Europe tend to turn to family and friends for help with these problems first, pastors second, and almost never to mental health professionals. Clergy and laypersons have little training in mental health issues. A promising direction for future service is training those who can, in turn, train Eastern European laypersons in basic listening and support skills. Cultural awareness and sensitivity will be of paramount importance in such an endeavor.

This section of the Journal attempts to keep readers informed of current resources of an integrative nature or those related to the general field of the psychology of religion appearing in other professional journals. A wide range of psychological and theological journals are surveyed regularly in search of such resources. The editor of the Journal File welcomes correspondence from readers concerning relevant theoretical or research articles in domestic or foreign journals which contribute directly or indirectly to the task and process of integration and to an understanding of the psychology of religion.

The following books have been received from publishers and are under consideration for review in the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Listing of a volume does not necessarily imply that it will be reviewed. Readers with appropriate academic and professional background who are interested in joining the panel of book reviewers are encouraged to correspond with the editor, enclosing a copy of their current professional curriculum vitae.