GRATITUDE, FORGIVENESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

In the midst of these complexities, it is critical to comprehend the factors that influence psychological well-being in order to promote holistic development and resilience of college students. Of the many factors that influence psychological well-being, the constructs of gratitude and forgiveness have drawn increasing attention in psychological research. Correlational research design was used in the study by assuming that a relationship could exist between Gratitude, Forgiveness and Psychological Wellbeing among adolescents. The sample consisted of 110 (55 girls and 55 boys) college students. The gratitude scale (Mohammad Anas, Akbar Husain, Asiya Aijaz and Shah Mohammad Khan), Forgiveness Scale (Reginald Amanze and Jerome Carson) and the Psychological Wellbeing Scale (Carol D. Ryff) were used to measure gratitude, forgiveness and psychological wellbeing in an individual. Pearson Product Moment Correlation test indicates significant relationship between gratitude and forgiveness among both girls and boys college students. There is significant relationship between forgiveness and psychological wellbeing, gratitude and psychological wellbeing among girl college students but there is no significant relationship between these variables in boy college students. We may conclude that there is a strong correlation between forgiveness and thankfulness, which emphasises how positive feelings are intertwined. Forgiveness, which is letting go of grudges and offering forgiveness, seems to be strongly related to gratitude, which is defined as acknowledging and appreciating gifts. This implies that those who feel one of these emotions are probably going to feel the other to some degree as well. Higher or lower level of gratitude and forgiveness of an individual will impact the level of psychological wellbeing of an individual and vice-versa.