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Forgiveness Therapy: An empirical guide for resolving anger and restoring hope

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Geoffrey W Sutton
Evangel University
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FORGIVENESS THERAPY: AN EMPIRICAL GUIDE FOR RESOLVING ANGER AND

RESTORING HOPE

This book review has been accepted for publication. This is a final draft that has not been edited

by the journal editor.

Reference

Sutton, G. W. (2017). [Review of the book Forgiveness Therapy: An empirical guide for
resolving anger and restoring hope by Robert D. Enright and Richard P. Fitzgibbons.]
Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 35, 368-370.
FORGIVENESS THERAPY: AN EMPIRICAL GUIDE FOR RESOLVING ANGER AND

RESTORING HOPE. Robert D. Enright and Richard P. Fitzgibbons, Washington DC: American

Psychological Association, 2015, Pp. xi + 358, Hb, ISBN 9781433818370. $69.95. Reviewed by

Geoffrey W. Sutton, Evangel University, Springfield, MO.

Forgiveness Therapy is a substantial revision of the authors’ groundbreaking work,

Helping Clients Forgive (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2000). Enright and Fitzgibbons have drawn on

a plethora of research in the past decade and a half to broaden and deepen the conceptualization

of forgiveness and the scope of problems to which forgiveness therapy may be successfully

applied. This book is aimed at clinicians who want an updated clinical handbook with clear

examples illustrating how forgiveness interventions may be integrated into treatment plans

addressing other common mental disorders with a specific reference to the those codified in the

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric

Association, 2013). In addition, the authors provide a review of empirical evidence supporting

the efficacy of their four phase model, which provides an updated literature review of interest to

academics and scientists.

I find two themes that characterize the authors approach to forgiveness. One is obvious in

their definition (morality) and the second is present but not so obvious (anger). Before going

further, I will quote their definition (pp. 26-27).

People, on rationally determining that they have been unfairly treated, forgive when they

willfully abandon resentment and related responses (to which they have a right) and

endeavor to respond to the wrongdoer based on the moral principle of beneficence, which
 may include compassion, unconditional worth, generosity, and moral love (to which the

wrongdoer, by nature of the hurtful act or acts, has no right).

The authors discuss their moral theme in the overview chapter and suggest forgiveness

therapy is not a good fit with treatment approaches that exclude notions of right and wrong or

justice and mercy. In contrast, forgiveness therapy is a good fit for approaches that recognize a

rights-based morality. Two primary dimensions of moral foundation theory proposed by Haidt

and his colleagues are evident in the definition. First, the injustice is founded on unfair treatment

justifying the offended person’s negative thoughts and feelings. Second, the acts of the offender

result in harm. Forgiveness thus becomes a moral response to give up a redress of violated rights

in favor of moral love.

The second theme of anger is not so obvious in the definition but provides the core

feature of clinical focus that the authors identify as a basis for supporting the role for forgiveness

therapy in the treatment of multiple mental disorders and interpersonal conflicts. The authors

present anger as the starting point for clinical work and a key feature of forgiveness therapy—in

fact, the authors elaborate on anger as a complex state “at the center of forgiveness therapy (p.

17).”

Enright and Fitzgibbons organized Forgiveness Therapy into three parts for a total of 16

chapters. They provide a description of their four phase process model in the Introduction and

offer details in chapter 4. In phase one, clients uncover their hurts and begin to deal with their

emotional pain. The decision phase follows the developmental progression. At this point, clients

learn about forgiveness and distinguish forgiveness from potential barriers such as beliefs that

forgiveness entails reconciliation (chapters two and three). Clinicians will find a helpful 23-item

checklist indicating what forgiveness is not on page 41. Clients learn to shift their attention to
their offenders in the work phase. Various exercises help clients feel empathy and compassion

for the offender. Finally, the deepening phase helps clients find meaning in the process of

forgiving and consider ways forgiveness may be applied to other offenses. The phases are

covered in considerable depth and include a total of 20 units ranging from 3 to 8 per phase. The

concept of units is similar to a list of tasks that clients accomplish within each phase. For

example, in the uncovering phase clients develop an “awareness of cognitive rehearsal of the

offense.” The authors note that not all people follow the same sequence in forgiveness.

There are six chapters in Part II (6-11). Each chapter illustrates how forgiveness therapy

may play a role in the treatment of a specific disorder or group of disorders. The authors review

the criteria of common DSM-5 conditions with a focus on the feature of anger or irritability in

the diagnostic criteria as well as related research. Individual chapters focus on Depressive,

Bipolar, Anxiety, and Addictive disorders. Additional chapters address conditions of childhood

and adolescence such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder and forgiveness for couples and families.

Part III includes five chapters representing a mix of topics. Chapter 12 covers forgiveness

education. Readers will find suggestions for teaching forgiveness ideas to children, youth, and

adults. In addition, readers will find free online educational resources at

internationalforgiveness.com. Chapter 13 reviews ways to assess forgiveness—including five

measures developed by the authors and their colleagues. Chapters 14 and 15 offer philosophical

considerations dealing with challenges to forgiveness and matters of morality and religious faith.

The final chapter is a summation, which I view as incorporating an expanded notion of hope—a

word found in the book’s title. That is, the authors leave readers with a sort of challenge to leave

a legacy of forgiveness for the betterment of humanity.

 References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Enright, R.D. & Fitzgibbons, R.P. (2000). Helping clients forgive: An empirical guide for

resolving anger and restoring hope. Washington, DC: American Psychological

Association.

Bio sketch

Geoffrey W. Sutton is an author and licensed psychologist living in Springfield MO. He is

Emeritus Professor of Psychology from Evangel University where he continues to

conduct research. His website is www.suttong.com

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