Americans feel forgiven
but not forgiving, study shows

ENS -- In a study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed have forgiven themselves for past wrongdoing, and nearly three-quarters feel they've been forgiven by God. However, only 52 percent have forgiven others, and 43 percent say they have actively sought forgiveness for harm they have done.

The study, published in the Journal of Adult Development, found that middle-aged and older adults were more likely to forgive others than were younger adults, and forgiving others was linked with better self-reported mental and physical health. "The benefits of forgiveness seem to increase with age," said Loren Toussaint, a psychologist who is the first author of the study. "There's a remarkably high level of confidence across the country that God forgives us, compared to a much lower level of forgiveness of oneself and others," he added.

Not all forgiveness is created equal, the study showed. "High levels of 'proactive forgiveness,' which involves asking forgiveness from someone you've hurt, asking God to forgive you, or praying to God to forgive someone who has hurt you, were strongly linked with high levels of psychological distress," reported Toussaint. "This is understandable since asking forgiveness can be stressful. It involves admitting to yourself that you've done something really wrong."

Toussaint plans to examine the extent to which forgiveness is important in dealing with anger and trauma following Sept. 11. "I suspect that forgiveness may prove to be a sort of psychological antidote to anger, which has already been shown to have a host of negative physical and mental health effects," he said.

(ENS: Episcopal News Service)

Last updated on 01/14/2004

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Americans feel forgiven but not forgiving, study shows

Americans feel forgiven
but not forgiving, study shows