Psy 437 FINAL: Forgiveness and Loss

Identify intrapersonal and interpersonal factors related to experiencing forgiveness

• motivational change

  > avoidance and revenge

  > discard desire to retaliate and hold grudges

  > does NOT condone for forget

Identify the impact forgiveness has on a person an their relationships

intrapersonal influences:

• empathy and perspective taking

• personality development

  > neuroticism → emotionality

  > agreeableness

  > narcissism

• rumination of damage: going back to the same subject; damage cause of transgression

• religiousness

interpersonal influences:

• contrition

• desire to continue real relationships

• transgression-specific aspects

outcomes:

• more forgiveness

• after infidelity

  > no forgiveness → dissolution

Explain the Enright Process Model and REACH Model of forgiving someone and identify examples of the different phases

Enright Process Model:

• uncovering phase → cause

• decision phase → cognitive understanding

• work phase → change internal and forgive

• deepening phase → find meaning in process

REACH Model:

• recall: de-emphasize/victim status

• empathy: compassion and sympathy

• altruistic: release offender

• commitment: tangible form

• hold: keep in face of doubts/obstacles

Explain what self-forgiveness and intergroup forgiveness are and how they differ from typical forgivness

self-forgiveness: punishing self for wrongdoing; still needs acknowledgement and responsibility

intergroup forgiveness: toward an out-group, more difficult to happen

Differentiate between what a formal and living will are

formal will: assets, child custody

living will: medical decisions, wishes after death

Identify examples of how early children, middle/late children, and adolescence respond to the loss of a loved one

• early childhood

  > lack coping skills → act out behaviorally

• middle/late childhood

  > direct expression

  > peer and academic issues

  > somatic symptoms

• adolescence

  > reluctant to outwardly express

  > internalize

  > parenting issues

Distinguish between how adults respond to the loss of a spouse, child, and parent

spouse death

• disrupt finances, parenting

• younger the individual: adjust better

• older the individual: trouble moving on

child death

• anger: “it isn’t supposed to happen like this:

• guilt: “I’ve failed”

• age of child → similar reactions

parent death

• least difficult

• more expected

• still have emotional reaction

Identify what research has found regarding evidence of the Kupler-Ross Stages of Response to Dying

• denial

• anger

• bargaining

• depression

• acceptance

  > little evidence has found to support this

  > viewed as “potential responses”

Distinguish between how middle/late children and adolescence respond to dealing with their own death

• middle/late childhood

  > want to talk about their death

  > want sense of control of their fate

• adolescence

  > concerned about appearance

  > distress of loss of autonomy

  > importance of peer contact

Identify differences between early, middle, and late adults in the amount of anxiety about their own death

• early adulthood: have a reasonable amount of anxiety

• middle adulthood: highest amount of anxiety

• late adulthood: lowest amount of anxiety

Identify differences between early, middle, and late adults in the content of the thoughts regarding their own death

early adulthood: forward centered, self-focused

middle adulthood: impact on others

late adulthood: logistics