“LANGUAGING” FACTORS AFFECTING CLIENTS' ACCEPTANCE OF FORGIVENESS INTERVENTION IN MARITAL THERAPY
Abstract
Forgiveness is a significant intervention for healing interpersonal injury. Yet therapists do not often use forgiveness intervention. Employing a semantic perspective and a survey design (n = 307), this study investigated whether the language used to rationalize forgiveness intervention (set at five levels: personal growth, relationship reconciliation, spiritual issue, others' growth, and pardoning/condoning) may affect its acceptability. Gender, problem type, and choice were also included in the analyses. Overall, forgiveness was found to be an acceptable intervention. A pardoning/condoning rationale led to significantly lower acceptability ratings. Other results are discussed. We conclude that therapists should be less apprehensive about using forgiveness, but need to inform themselves better concerning its purpose, process, and articulation.
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Therapists often fail to utilise forgiveness in treatment.
“Despite the significance of forgiveness in close relationships and the recognition of its clinical usefulness, therapists often fail to utilise forgiveness in treatment (Butler et al., 2002;Gordon and Baucom, 1998).”
From Facilitating forgiveness in the treatment of infidelity: an interpersonal model (2013) · cites this paper as Butler et al., 2002
Clients and clinicians may erroneously understand forgiveness to mean accepting, excusing, condoning, forgetting, denying, or requiring reconciliation.
“Clients and clinicians may erroneously understand forgiveness to mean accepting, excusing, condoning, forgetting, denying or requiring reconciliation (Butler et al., 2002).”
From Facilitating forgiveness in the treatment of infidelity: an interpersonal model (2013) · cites this paper as Butler et al., 2002
Forgiveness does not mean to forget, excuse or condone the offense.
“As mentioned above, forgiveness does not mean to forget, excuse or condone the offense, and therapists should be aware of potential confusion about forgiveness, as this may interfere with clients' engagement in the therapy process (Butler et al., 2002).”
From Facilitating forgiveness in the treatment of infidelity: an interpersonal model (2013) · cites this paper as Butler et al., 2002
Cites
The cognitive and emotive uses of forgiveness in the treatment of anger.
Fitzgibbons, R. P. (1986) · Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training · doi:10.1037/h0085667 · Cited by 268 · see citing works
Development of the Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire
Hunsley, J. (1992) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/bf00960091 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
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Lewicki, R. J., & Brinsfield, C. (2017) · Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113147 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Esterwood, C., & Jr, L. P. R. (2023) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107658 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Facilitating forgiveness in the treatment of infidelity: an interpersonal model
Fife, S. T., Weeks, G. R., & Stellberg‐Filbert, J. (2013) · Journal of Family Therapy · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6427.2011.00561.x · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Butler, M. H., Dahlin, S. K., & Fife, S. T.
- Affiliations
- Brigham Young University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Butler, Mark H.
- Venue
- Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2002-07
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 285-298
- ISSN
- 0194-472X (ISSN-L)
- 1752-0606
- OpenAlex
- W2100677894
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 1.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
- Keywords
- forgiveness interventions, couple therapy, consumer acceptance, personal growth, spiritual issues, gender differences, marital problems
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Communication, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Marital Therapy, Middle Aged, Random Allocation, Semantics, Sex Offenses, United States, Domestic Violence, Spouses, Spirituality
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