Thesis (M. Div.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-140).

This thesis explores the theme of interpersonal forgiveness in the Gospel of Matthew and argues that the idea of interpersonal forgiveness is quite central to this Gospel. Its main foci are on demonstrating the centrality of this theme in the Gospel and understanding the nature of interpersonal forgiveness in it. It proposes five sets of evidence in support of this claim. First is the concept of reciprocity and the link between mercy and forgiveness, together with the link between reluctance in the praxis of them and judgement. Second is the emphasis on the offended person's responsibility in forgiving and the connection of this with the concept of spiritually mature and immature Christians. Third is a reinforcement of the forgiveness concept by the use of related concepts. Fourth is the strategic rhetorical positioning of interpersonal forgiveness texts and related passages within the Matthean text. Fifth is the proportion these texts occupy in the Sermon on the Mount and the Community Discourse. In an attempt to demonstrate the prominence of the theme in the first Gospel, all Matthean forgiveness and forgiveness-related texts are surveyed. Then two key texts, in which the idea of interpersonal forgiveness is stated directly, are singled out for a thorough examination. The method of interpretation used in this thesis is discourse analysis. Discourse analysis, as with many models used in NT exegesis, is not without its potential limitations. It is employed in this thesis because it offers valuable insight into Matthew's point of view of the subject under scrutiny. To serve as the background to the present study, the rhetoric of interpersonal forgiveness in Graeco-Roman literature and in Jewish literature in Greek is considered. The analysis of these data will assist in the description of the dynamics of human forgiveness. The forgiveness pattern that emerges from them differs remarkably from its pattern found in Matthew where granting forgiveness appears not only as a reasonable act, but reluctance or failure to grant it does make the unforgiving person accountable to God - a note sounded nowhere else (except Sir 28:1-4 and Dionysius, Ant. Rom. 8.50.1-4) in the literature surveyed in this work.

No description available.

Following a transgression, interpersonal forgiveness is one strategy used to restore harmony between the victim and offender. Research also suggests that forgiveness can promote psychological and physical health. Research has shown that an apology from the offender may facilitate the forgiveness process. The majority of studies suggest that when a victim receives an apology, they experience higher levels of forgiveness toward their offender. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the association between apology and forgiveness in a sample of adults and undergraduate students (N = 803). The results are organized in three sections. First, I found a positive relationship between apology and forgiveness, replicating prior research. Second, I created a new measure of transgression severity, and provided evidence of internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion-related validity for this measure. Third, I tested two variables hypothesized to moderate the association between apology and forgiveness. First, there was some evidence that perceived offender humility moderated the association between simple apology and forgiveness. Offenders who were perceived as being more humble when providing a simple apology were granted more forgiveness than their less humble counterparts. Second, there was some evidence that transgression severity moderated the association between a complete apology and forgiveness, but the effect was in the opposite direction as hypothesized. For individuals who reported a transgression of high severity, there was a stronger association between the completeness of an apology and forgiveness than for individuals who reported a transgression of low severity. I conclude by discussing limitations, areas for future research, and implications for counseling.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In organizational life, trust breach is a common but destructive phenomenon. This dissertation explores how a prosocial, virtuous response to trust breach -- interpersonal forgiveness -- might influence the behaviour and attitudes of teams and their members in the wake of such a breach. In a series of three manuscripts, the dissertation looks at the consequences of forgiveness for the person perceived to have broken a victim’s trust (the transgressor), and for the teammates who observe the breach and the response that follows it. Forgiveness is described as playing two important roles. For transgressors, we describe forgiveness as a favour, drawing on social exchange theory to argue that forgiveness triggers reciprocal helping directed at both the victim and the team at large. And for teammates, we argue that forgiveness serves as a powerful signal, communicating the cohesion and efficacy of the group. These predictions are tested experimentally with a laboratory study of transgressor-victim dyads (Chapter 2) and of transgressor-victim-teammate triads (Chapter 3), and a series of two vignette studies from the perspective of teammate observers (Chapter 4). Focusing on the linkages between forgiveness and justice, each study considers the interaction between forgiveness various transgressor-initiated and victim-initiated attempts at restoring justice, including apologies, punishment, and restorative justice practices. Chapter 5 discusses the mixed support found for our predictions, considers how the limitations of our studies might be addressed, and introduces a series of directions for future research. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-27 19:40:29.248

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Also available in print.

Bea Dumont's life was full of youthful joys; cribbage games with her grandfather and Sunday morning pancackes with her older brother, Trip. When something happens that tears her typical American family apart, she begins a lifelong struggle to understand why it all came crashing down and learns along the way what it takes to forgive.

Although its consequences can be devastating, revenge is surprisingly understudied. In this dissertation, I address several key questions. For example, are the factors that trigger revenge the same across different individuals? What are the psychological processes that facilitate revenge? Does revenge have any adaptive value? These issues were addressed with a series of three studies. Study 1 explored whether personality predictors of self-reported revenge generalize across four specific transgressions. Results indicated that narcissists were only vengeful after social rejection whereas psychopaths and neurotics tended to be vengeful across transgressions. Study 2 expanded on these results by exploring trait-level vengeful fantasies and vengeful behaviors and the impact of a potential mediator, namely, anger rumination. Neuroticism was shown to be predictive of vengeful fantasies: This association was entirely mediated by anger rumination. Psychopathy predicted vengeful behavior: This association was partially mediated by vengeful fantasies. Study 3 involved the analysis of participants' personal anecdotes about how they reacted to transgressions against them. Coded variables included revenge as well as 10 other coping behaviors: These 11 predictors were then evaluated with respect to their impact on both immediate relief and long-term recovery. Although the revenge option fostered immediate relief, it did not benefit long-term recovery. Only one coping behavior (meaning-making) actually fostered recovery. The contributions and limitations of this research plus suggestions for future studies are discussed.