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Review of Intervention Studies on Forgiveness
Journal Review 1
Integration of Spiritualty and Counseling (Liberty University)
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Running head: REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON FORGIVENESS
Review of Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta-
Analysis Liberty University
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
FORGIVENESS
Review of Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta-Analysis
When forgiveness is needed in a situation it can be challenging for an individual to
replace the anger, resentment, hostility towards the individual that inflicted the pain with true
forgiveness in their heart. In counseling forgiveness is not always needed but there are some
areas that forgiveness may be helpful in the healing process. This paper will review a journal
article on the Intervention Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta-Analysis by Thomas Baskin and
Robert Enright [ CITATION Bas04 \l 1033 ]. Within this paper there will be a summary of the
article discussing the hypotheses, method, results, and discussion within the article. This writer
will add own response to the article and apply the article to a counseling scenario.
Summary
This article is a meta-analysis on nine different studies published on forgiveness
interventions. Baskin and Enright (2004) hope this meta-analysis serves as guidance to future
studies done on forgiveness within a counseling setting [CITATION Bas04 \p 79 \n \y \l 1033 ].
Forgiveness can come in many forms, forgiving someone that has done you wrong or asking for
forgiveness because you have wronged someone else. Sometimes when an individual needs to
forgive someone that has hurt them in the past the process can take time, however, there can be a
release from the bondage that un-forgiveness can hold.
The hypothesis for this meta-analysis addresses if the counseling interventions presented
are effective in increasing forgiveness and do the benefits of forgiveness aid in emotional health
[CITATION Bas04 \p 84 \l 1033 ]. The authors will address the question above by observing the
evidence presented on if grouping the studies into three categories is necessary, do the results
show that interventions based on one theoretical foundations are strong enough, and is it valuable
to determine what the quality of results forgiveness therapy offers within the counseling setting
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
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[CITATION Bas04 \p 84 \l 1033 ].
The method consisted of first finding the proper studies needed to be within the meta-
analysis. The studies needed to be empirical and based on forgiveness models, having
quantitative measures of forgiveness present, there being use of a control group within the
study, and published by a refereed journal [CITATION Bas04 \p 85 \l 1033 ]. To recover the
studies with the requirements above Baskin and Enright (2004) conducted an electronic search
of relevant studies, retrieving the references from the studies found through the database and
qualitative reviews on forgiveness literature [CITATION Bas04 \p 85 \n \y \l 1033 ]. There
were nine studies found that met all requirements. The studies were Hebl and Enright (1993)
forgiveness intervention; McCullough and Worthington (1995) did two studies on
psychoeducational group interventions, Al-Mabuk et al. (1995) examined two interventions with
parental-love-deprived college students, Freedman and Enright (1996) compared a forgiveness
intervention with a waiting list control and female incest survivors, McCullough et al. (1997)
empathy intervention group, and Coyle and Enright (1997) forgiveness intervention for post-
abortion men [CITATION Bas04 \p 82-83 \l 1033 ]. Within the method a test for homogeneity,
calculation of effective size, dependent measures and correlation were done to attain the results
of the meta-analysis [CITATION Bas04 \p 85-86 \l 1033 ].
Baskin and Enright (2004) discuss the results of the homogeneity test in that if the groups
were combined into one group they did not pass, the groups were divided into three groups using
a theoretical foundation, decision based interventions (one to eight sessions), process-based
group interventions (six to eight sessions), and process-based individual interventions (twelve to
sixty sessions) [CITATION Bas04 \p "86, 88" \n \y \l 1033 ]. The results of the three groups
varied, forgiveness in decision based interventions verses control group showed no difference
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
FORGIVENESS
between those receiving the decision-based intervention and those not receiving the intervention,
where as forgiveness in process-based group interventions and forgiveness in process-based
individual interventions both exhibited doing better or well as the control group [CITATION
Bas04 \p 86 \l 1033 ]. The results for emotional health dependent variables indicated that the
process model of forgiveness and the effectiveness of forgiveness in the counseling setting
should be supported [CITATION Bas04 \p 87 \l 1033 ].
In the final discussion Baskin and Enright (2004) conclude that forgiveness counseling is
an excellent add on to the professional counseling community, the mental health variables proved
that not only is forgiveness helping an individual with moral development, “forgiveness to a
factor in improving mental health” [CITATION Bas04 \p 87 \n \y \l 1033 ]. Baskin and Enright
(2004) do state that forgiveness should not be consider as a cure for psychological concerns but
can benefit an individual, “such as an incest survivor” [CITATION Bas04 \p 89 \n \y \l 1033 ].
The authors end with almost a plea for further studies to be done on forgiveness in the counseling
setting because of the findings within the meta-analysis [CITATION Bas04 \p 89 \l 1033 ].
Interaction
This writer found this meta-analysis to confirm that forgiveness within the counseling
setting could improve a clients well being and emotional health, and that it is important for this
writer to become familiar with the model of forgiveness. Baskin and Enright (2004) suggest that
a few modifications be made in the research design for future studies to support forgiveness
being effective for counseling [CITATION Bas04 \p 88 \l 1033 ]. This writer agrees with the
authors that more research should be done to help individuals with mental health issues possibly
one day be free of the bondage of un-forgiveness and offer relief. This writer will continue
studying about forgiveness within the counseling setting. The reason this writer chose this article
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
FORGIVENESS
is because of studying similar article of interest.
Application
This scenario takes place within a substance abuse rehabilitation center, this center offers
counseling in both group settings and individual sessions. There is myself the clinician and a
client present in the individual counseling session. The client explains to the clinician that she
has been struggling with substance abuse of cocaine and alcoholism for several years, has been
sober for a year now. The client self reports of feeling very lost and out of control and is scared
to quit because of the reality that will come. After allowing the client to discuss what she is
feeling the clinician asked when the substance abuse started. The client reports around the age of
seventeen, she states her father had sexually abused her since she was young, about ten years old.
The client states of feeling ashamed, guilt, pain, hurt, betrayal, and wants to be able to move on
from this, feeling like this has caused her to isolate with limited social contact because of her
feeling anxious[ CITATION Bas04 \l 1033 ]. The client feels her substance abuse is because of
shoving the pain down for so long, she has been masking the symptoms with drugs and alcohol
for a long time. The client states that the emotional difficulty has been there since she left home
and got out of her fathers reach. This clinician will monitor closely the clients’ mental health of
possible existence of anxiety disorder. The client orientation status is x4, client denies any
suicide ideation, no legal issues at this time.
The client has been away from the situation for several years now; she recently attended
trauma counseling and wants to be able to move away from the bondage of this situation.
Forgiveness Therapy would benefit this client by possible giving relief to the client’s feeling of
guilt, pain, hurt, betrayal, shame, and anxiousness with leaving home and being around others. If
client participates in forgiveness therapy there is an unlimited possibilities of relief for this client.
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
FORGIVENESS
Conclusion
The purpose of this paper was to review a journal article on the Intervention Studies on
Forgiveness: A Meta-Analysis by Thomas Baskin and Robert Enright [ CITATION Bas04 \l
1033
]. Within this paper there was a summary of the meta-analysis presented, the writer own reaction
to the article was added, and lastly the writer applied a counseling scenario to the concepts of the
article.
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REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES ON
FORGIVENESS
Reference
Baskin, T., & Enright, R. (2004). Intervention studies on forgiveness: a meta-analysis. Journal
Of Counseling & Development , 82 (1), 79-90.
