Psychology Commons^™

Attachment Quality Across Contexts: The Mediating Role Of Cognitive-Affective Traits, Christian Ammons

Dissertations

Attachment quality throughout the lifespan has been found to be impacted by a variety of factors including prior attachments with parents and other adults (Rholes, Simpson, & Friedman, 2006). The mechanisms that impact the transmission of attachment to parent-child attachment quality has not been fully explored. Individual differences such as traits involving appraisal of self and others and affective components have been found to be important in relationship functioning across contexts (Eisenberg, 2000). Thus, the current study evaluated the relationship between adult attachment quality and parent-child attachment quality and specifically examined the mediating effects of cognitive-affective traits (i.e. trait forgiveness, …

Implicit Theories As A Moderator Between Religious Commitment And Forgiveness Among Muslims Experiencing A Religious Identity Offense., John Michael Hart Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A recurrent finding in the literature on the relationship between religion and forgiveness is that religious people tend to describe themselves as forgiving while reporting less forgiveness in response to actual offenses (Davis, Worthington, Hook, & Hill, 2013; McCullough & Worthington, 1999). Scholars have suggested moderating factors may explain this discrepancy (Worthington et al., 2010), though the existing literature has been criticized as limited because much of the research is based on Christian samples (Carlisle & Tsang, 2013; Davis et al., 2013). Implicit theories, which have previously been found to be associated with forgiveness and theorized to be related to …

Perspectives Of Secular Counselors Regarding Christian Counseling Forgiveness Therapy, Tezonia Rushan Morgan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forgiveness is a concept that is strongly rooted in Christianity. Forgiveness therapy was developed with Christian principles and has proven to be successful for Christian counselors. However, forgiveness has not been explored from the perceptions of secular counselors. Specifically, it is not known if secular counselors are using concepts that are similar to Christian forgiveness therapy. Using forgiveness therapy, this qualitative grounded theory study described the experiences, thoughts, and understanding of forgiveness from the views of secular counselors. Research questions addressed if secular mental counselors have a concept similar to forgiveness therapy as defined in the Christian counseling literature. Individual …

The Relationship Of Social Constructs To Intimate Partner Violence, Andi Hefton

All Master's Theses

Correlations between intimate partner violence and specific social influences such as religiosity, propensity towards forgiveness, and gender role identity were examined. A sample of 105 students enrolled at Central Washington University submitted responses based on their perceptions of gender roles, religiosity, forgiveness, and experience with partner violence. Although previous studies examined exposure to intimate partner violence, substance use in relation to perpetrating partner violence, and attitudes about perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV), research to date has failed to examine IPV as it relates to gender roles, religion, and forgiveness. In an attempt to fill this gap, the current study examined …

Integrating Forgiveness Therapy And The Treatment Of Anger: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Michael Schaefer Ballard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the costs of uncontrolled anger are well-known, interventions for anger are less frequently studied and less effective than interventions for either depression or anxiety (NAMA, 2012). One hundred eighty-seven patients requesting anger management treatment at an outpatient counseling center in Denver participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: an experimental treatment integrating forgiveness therapy and anger management, or anger treatment as usual. Treatment consisted of twelve 90-minute sessions held once a week in small groups led by group facilitators. Participants in both treatment conditions reported clinically significant decreases in state anger and increases …

Development Of A Two-Factor Self-Forgiveness Scale, Brandon J. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Notwithstanding progress made in description, prediction, and manipulation of self-forgiveness, the extant literature continues to be wrought with theoretical and empirical quandaries. In the current dissertation, I conceptualize self-forgiveness within the framework of Social Cognitive Theory and develop a two-factor scale to assess distinct decisional and emotional aspects of self-forgiveness among perpetrators of interpersonal transgressions. In Study One, I test the hypothesized two-factor structure in a new measure of state self-forgiveness and provide preliminary evidence supporting construct validity via associations of that measure with perceived responsibility, guilt, and shame. In Study Two, I replicate the factor structure and provide preliminary …

Relationships Among Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Forgiveness, Meaning In Life, And Spirituality In Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Shannon Marie Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

One hundred twenty nine survivors of interpersonal violence completed a paper-and-pencil survey to evaluate depression, PTSD, forgiveness, meaning in life, and spirituality. Five self-report measures were completed including: the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, the PTSD Checklist – Stressor Specific version, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, and the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale. The majority of the participants were female and Caucasian. Significant correlations were found between PTSD and presence of meaning, as well as depression and both presence of and search for meaning. However, hierarchical multiple regressions results indicated that depression and the two meaning in life subscales contributed …

Therapists' Attitudes Toward Forgiveness: The Relationship Between Forgiveness Conceptualizations And Predicted Likelihood To Assist Clients To Forgive During Treatment, Cameron F. Cannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research supports the use of forgiveness in psychotherapy; however, little is known about how this process is integrated into treatment. Views on the utility of forgiveness appear to be mixed. Differences in conceptualization appear to exist between interventionists who promote its use and those who argue against it. This study explored the potential relationship between therapists' conceptualization of forgiveness, categorized as either agreeing with popular interventionists or not, and their predicted assistance of client forgiveness, as well as relationships between attitudes toward forgiveness and other potentially related variables Two hundred sixty nine participants recruited from practice-focused graduate training institutions completed …

A Workbook To Promote Forgiveness For Ingroup Congregational Offenses, Chelsea Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Since research on forgiveness has flourished over the past three decades, multiple interventions have been developed to aid individuals in this arduous process. Two interventions in particular have been most-widely studied with diverse groups: Enright’s process model (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2000) and Worthington’s REACH Forgiveness model (2006). Thus far, these forgiveness interventions have been led by trained professionals in an in-person group. In-person interventions pose issues of cost and attendance. In the current study, I adapted Worthington’s Christian-adapted REACH Forgiveness intervention into a self-directed workbook for Christians who have experienced an offense within a religious community. Participants (N = 52) …

Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin

Theses and Dissertations

People agree that forgiveness is a virtue in essentially all countries. However, different cultures have different ideas about how willing one should forgive and under what circumstances. Although the study occurred in the USA, I recruited both foreign-extraction and Virginia born-and-raised female college students (N=102) to participate a six-hour REACH forgiveness intervention, promoting their forgiveness through psychoeducational groups. In my thesis, I investigated whether students of foreign extraction and Virginia-born students would respond similarly to the intervention. I operationalized culture in two ways—by country and by individual self-reported self-construal. I measured forgiveness using two measures—decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness. I …

The Relationship Between Personality And Forgiveness Of Sexual Infidelity In Marriage, Karen Suggs Roper

Doctoral Dissertations

Discovery of sexual infidelity is often accompanied by a strong desire for infidelity relevant information (Peluso, 2007). This study explored how information and conceptualization of situational factors affects forgiveness in a spouse who discovers the extramarital sexual activity of his or her spouse. The current study focused on knowledge of details and how such knowledge affected rumination and motivations of revenge, avoidance, and benevolence. Popular literature currently promotes a process of healing that begins with a revelation of the details associated with the extramarital behaviors of the offending spouse. A unique objective of this study was consideration of the specific …

Violations Of The Divine: Forgiveness Of Ingroup Transgressors Within Church Congregations Of The Christian Faith, Chelsea Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Research on forgiveness has been expanding rapidly in the last decade with a subset of studies looking at how religious people forgive. A discrepancy persists between Christians’ level of valuing forgiveness and forgiveness of actual transgressions. Several methodological issues and offense-specific variables have been presented as explanations. This present thesis examines the role of the congregation as a group identity, and applies it to a theory of relational spirituality, as a measure of the relationship between a victim and the Sacred. No existing research has polled congregants about offense-specific forgiveness of church peers. I collected data from members of Christian …

An Examination Of The Process Of Forgiveness And The Relationship Among State Forgiveness, Self-Compassion, And Psychological Well-Being Experienced By Buddhists In The United States, Masami Matsuyuki

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of forgiveness and the relationship among state forgiveness, self-compassion, and psychological well-being experienced by Buddhists in the United States. An integral feminist framework was developed for this mixed-method study.

For the quantitative component of this study, a convenience sample of 112 adults completed an online survey. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine: (a) the impact of gender, age, and the years spent in Buddhist practice on state forgiveness and self-compassion; (b) the outcome of psychological well-being in relation to state forgiveness and self-compassion; and (c) self-compassion as a mediator …

Relational Humility, Don Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The study of humility has progressed slowly due to lack of theory and measurement issues. In the present dissertation, I review the literature on humility and propose a theory of relational humility. The model conceptualizes humility as a personality judgment, aligning its study with a large literature that spans social and personality psychology. Then, in four studies, I examined initial evidence for the theoretical model. In Study 1 (N=300), I created the Relational Humility Scale (RHS) and evaluated its items using exploratory factor analysis. The RHS was found to have 3 subscales: Global Humility, Superiority, and Accurate View of Self. …