A narrative framework for forgiveness at the end of life: suggestions for future research in health communication

Abstract

ABSTRACTForgiveness is a topic that is relevant and prominent in end of life conversations. However, while the process of forgiveness has become increasingly studied in health contexts by communication scholars, through various methodologies and across multiple contexts, research on forgiveness in the end of life context, particularly in the field of health communication, is lacking. Moreover, there is a need for qualitative inquiry, and I argue that as this research gap is addressed, the projects of the medical humanities and hospice can—and should—inform how health communication scholars situate and understand forgiveness at the end of life. This essay proposes an interpretive narrative approach, which grounds forgiveness within the narratives of the living and the dying, of persons and not patients.