SELF-FORGIVENESS, SELF-ACCEPTANCE OR INTRAPERSONAL RESTORATION? OPEN ISSUES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FORGIVENESS

Abstract

The first attempts to conceptually address self-forgiveness tended to consider it based on the findings of the theory of interpersonal forgiveness, aiming to find parallels between the two forms of forgiveness. However, there are empirical data that question whether self-forgiveness can be considered to be just another type of forgiveness, since interpersonal forgiveness and self-forgiveness are based on very different psychological factors. This paper reviews the knowledge available to date and presents a proposal about the temporal course of self-forgiveness, bringing together the elements of the main theoretical models to provide the reader with a complete and coherent view of the process. We conclude that the best approach to understanding self-forgiveness is to consider it from the perspective of the offender, understanding the subject as someone who must seek and receive forgiveness, rather than someone who should grant it.

Keywords

• Self-forgiveness
• Forgiveness seeking
• Self-acceptance.