Thesis advisor: John Baldovin / Thesis advisor: Liam Bergin / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

When looking at societies that are in transition from violence to peace, one of the major issues that is present is the need to reconcile with past adversaries. Political philosophy points to the need for the creation of a social contract that all groups can reach through reasonable agreements. This represents a political reconciliation between groups. This thesis classifies this idea as the need for cognitive reconciliation. The field of Social Psychology points to how negative emotions, or affect, can inhibit the use of reason. The field of Conflict Resolution asserts that there must also be a reconciliation on an emotional level as well. This thesis classifies this as the need for affective reconciliation. This project looks at a way to integrate the cognitive and affective forms of reconciliation into a single model.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 301-317).

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-92).

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

 This study examines the intra- and inter-personal processes through which married couples achieve forgiveness and reconciliation. In phase one of the study, in-depth interviews were conducted. Six couples from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong were interviewed to identify the steps taken by both parties that allowed them to achieve forgiveness and reconciliation after hurtful events in their marriages. The steps taken by the injured parties in such situations include acknowledging pain, letting go of grudges, viewing the offending party differently and reestablishing trust; in turn, the injurer accepts responsibility for his or her wrongdoing, expresses remorse, resolves his or her inner struggles and receives trust in his or her integrity. The results demonstrate that balance is of paramount importance in relationships. Although the injured party needs to regain his or her sense of justice, the dignity of the injurer must also be protected. In addition, because both parties may have acted wrongfully, the roles of the injured and the injurer may become reversed during the reconciliation process. Finally, when reconciliation is achieved through forgiveness and the redevelopment of trust, identity reconstruction occurs. The implications of these findings for marital counseling are presented. In phase two of the study, two major scales, the Transgression-related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory and the Relationship Trust Scale, were validated using questionnaires completed by 665 married individuals. Both of the scales exhibit excellent internal reliability and demonstrate construct validity. The validation process revealed that the perfectionist tendencies of Chinese married couples may lead them not to want to “bury” their resentment to advance the relationship. Instead, Chinese couples may prefer harmonious relationships without any negative sentiment. Practitioner research was employed in the final phase of the study. Ten couples received counseling from the researcher, who was also a clinician, after experiencing transgressions in their marriages. As measured using the validated scales, the couples had improved significantly by the end of the counseling process; the impact of the hurtful event had decreased; and forgiveness, trust and dyadic adjustment had increased. The wives also exhibited significant improvement in terms of their marital satisfaction levels, although the husbands did not. Based on the clinical data, the researcher developed a five-phase intervention model that helps married couples to forgive and reconcile. In this model, the first phase involves engaging the couples. For the parties involved to be able to move on with the counseling process, the conflict between the spouses needs to be de-escalated. The second phase involves addressing the injustice gap and the hurt feelings of the injured party via dialogue between the spouses. When forgiveness is granted during the third phase, an identity reconstruction process ensues. The fourth phase involves rebuilding the emotional bond between the spouses and their sense of trust, and in the final phase, the couple consolidates the change. In addition, the effort to connect the couples to their ancestral, cultural and spiritual resources is an essential intervention strategy; as such resources can sustain the couples during this arduous journey. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

After the genocide of 1994, Rwanda was left in a state of chaos. With reconciliation as a national priority, Christian faith-based organizations have risen to the challenge of providing religious reconciliation training. Prison Fellowship Rwanda and Youth With A Mission Rwanda are two local organizations that have been active in Kigali since 1994 and will form the basis of this case study. Bryant Myers’ (1999, 2011) Transformational Development framework will be explored and considered as a possible theoretical framework from which to investigate Christian study populations.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pf file (which also appears in the research.pf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pf file. Title from title screen of research.pf file (viewed on May 11, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1988. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-144).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1996. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-121).