Forgiving Life

Robert D. Enright, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He has been a leader in the scientific study of forgiveness and its effects since 1985. Time magazine referred to him as "the forgiveness trailblazer". He is the author of more than 100 publications, including five books. In 2022, he received the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology for his innovative work in forgiveness. He and his colleagues have developed and tested a pathway to forgiveness that has helped incest survivors, and people in drug rehabilitation, in hospice, in shelters for abused women, and in cardiac units of hospitals, among others. His recent work has been in schools within conflict regions, such as Belfast, Northern Ireland, assisting teachers to deliver forgiveness programs to students.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsI. The BasicsA Theory of Forgiveness in BriefIf You Are TraumatizedII. Overview of the Forgiveness ProcessHow Telling and Listening to Stories Can HelpForgiveness Is a ProcessThe Work Phase of ForgivenessThe Discovery Phase of ForgivenessWhat Does It Mean to Forgive?III. Getting OrganizedThe Forgiveness PlanMeasuring Your ForgivenessIV. Forgiving Those Who Have Hurt YouYour Forgiveness PathwayHow Did You Do in Forgiving?Forgiving Your ParentsForgiveness Between Partners and Within Your Current FamilyCompleting the Triangle of ForgivenessSchool Days, Work Days, and Other DaysSurveying the Landscape From the Mountain PeakV. Giving the Gift of Forgiveness to OthersQuestions as You Give Forgiveness to OthersGiving Forgiveness Away to Our Children and in Our CommunitiesYour Forgiveness LegacyAppendix A: Process of How People Forgive Someone Who Was UnjustAppendix B: Forgiveness Landscape Rating ScaleAppendix C: Personal Forgiveness ScaleAppendix D: The Forgiveness Guidepost FormNotesIndexAbout the Author