Forgiveness by God, Forgiveness of Others, and Psychological Well–Being in Late Life

Krause, Neal; Ellison, Christopher G.

doi:10.1111/1468-5906.00162

Cited by 300Forgiveness and Related BehaviorsReligion, Spirituality, and PsychologyMindfulness and Compassion Interventions

Forgiveness by God, Forgiveness of Others, and Psychological Well–Being in Late Life

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Krause, Neal, Ellison, Christopher G.·2003·Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

DOI 10.1111/1468-5906.00162PMC PMC3046863

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among forgiveness by God, forgiveness of others, and psychological well–being with data provided by a nationwide survey of older adults. Three main findings emerge from the analyses. First, the data suggest that forgiving others tends to enhance psychological well–being, and these salubrious effects are greater than those associated with forgiveness by God. Second, the findings indicate that how older people go about forgiving others is important: older adults who require transgressors to perform acts of contrition experience more psychological distress than those who forgive unconditionally. Third, the results reveal that forgiveness by God may be involved in this process because older people who feel they are forgiven by God are less likely to expect transgressors to perform acts of contrition.

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Of the 20 best studies on R/S and altruism, 15 (75%) reported positive relationships and two (10%) found negative associations.
“of the 20 best studies, 15 (75%) reported positive relationships [108–113] and two (10%) found negative associations [114, 115] (both concerning organ donations, which some religions prohibit).”
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Self-citation

Authors: Krause, N., & Ellison, C. G.
Affiliations: University of Michigan (US)
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Corresponding author: Krause, Neal
Ellison, Christopher G.
ORCID: Krause, Neal
Ellison, Christopher G.
Venue: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2003-02-12
Volume: 42
Issue: 1
Pages: 77-93
ISSN: 0021-8294 (ISSN-L)
1468-5906
DOI: 10.1111/1468-5906.00162
PMC: PMC3046863
OpenAlex: W2091015182
Cited by: 299
References: 40
Citations by year: 2026: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 18
FWCI: 8.34
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: National Institute on Aging (R01AG014749)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
Keywords: forgiveness, forgiveness of others, psychological well-being, older adults, old age, psychological distress, contrition, unconditional forgiveness, religiosity

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Forgiveness by God, Forgiveness of Others, and Psychological Well–Being in Late Life

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