Interventions to Promote Forgiveness in Couple and Family Context: Conceptualization, Review, and Analysis

Abstract

Forgiveness interventions have not been adapted for children, couples, families, and also specifically with Christians. Conceptualization and theorizing have lagged empirical studies. We use a stress-and-coping conceptualization of forgiveness to provide a framework for understanding forgiveness in family context, especially with Christians. Although several evidence-based interventions to promote forgiveness have been developed, few have targeted children, early adolescents, parents, families, and Christians. However, most will likely resonate with Christian beliefs and values and can be adapted to Christian families. More target high school adolescents and couples. Most are adaptations of (a) Enright's process model of forgiveness, (b) Worthington's emotional forgiveness through the REACH Forgiveness program, (c) DiBlasio's Decision-based model, and (d) Worthing-ton's Forgiveness and Reconciliation through Experiencing Empathy—FREE—model. Such interventions need to be manualized and studied empirically to determine their efficacy in family context.