items of interest

with contributions from Nancy A. Peddle, Mark I. Pinsky, Betsy Mason

IN HER STUDY OF REFUGEES recovering from war trauma, Nancy A. Peddle, Ph.D. noted that forgiveness plays a significant role in helping survivors move forward in their lives. "It appeared that these refugees needed some reason to forgive, which for most, came through a belief in God or a religious teaching and the opportunity to make a personal choice. The majority of those who chose to forgive also said that they knew it was not a one-time event, but rather, a practice they needed to intentionally live or even have help in doing.

"The ability to forgive is a function of maturation and experience, although it can begin at a young age. Adolescents who were more forgiving tended to come from families that taught forgiveness as a moral value rather than simply a skill.

"For instance, one man explained, 'My father taught us to never forget, but that we should forgive.' This was a moral teaching with which his own 12-year-old son was so familiar that he could mimic his own father and complete the rest of the lesson, 'It's what I want to pass on to my children.' This suggests that imbedding forgiveness in moral values, when teaching young children, may increase the likelihood that these children will be more able to move toward forgiveness when they reach adolescence, typically a time when people have difficulty forgiving."

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