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 JOURNALOF HOLISTICNURSING /March2001Brushetal./FORGIVENESS
 Forgiveness
 AConcept Analysis
Barbara L. Brush, R.N.C., Ph.D., F.A.A.N.
Boston College
Eileen M. McGee, R.N., M.S.N.
Director of Health Care Services, Pine Street Inn
Bonnie Cavanagh, R.N.C., M.S.N.
Winchester Women’s Health Care P.C.
Mary Woodward, R.N.C., M.S.N.
St. Joseph Parish Ministry
This article provides an operational definition of forgiveness as a first step in the sys-tematic analysis of the concept. Using the method described by Walker and Avant(1995), the authors identify the attributes and characteristics of forgiveness and itstheoreticalandpracticalimplicationsfornursing.Samplecasesfromclinicalpracticehelpillustratetheconceptfurther.Furthernursingresearchneedstotestthetheoreti-cal relationships between forgiveness and nursing practice outcomes.
Forcenturies,thehealingaspect
of forgiveness has been advocatedwithin the context of religious practice and one’s relationship withGod (Blumenthal, 1998; Drabkin, 1993; Jenson, 1993; Mul-ler-Fahrenholz,1998).Morerecently,theconnectionbetweenforgive-ness and individuals’ spiritual and mental well-being has been thesubjectofmuchinterestandresearch,especiallyamongfamilythera-pists,clinicalandsocialpsychologists,ethicists,theologians,andphi-losophers (DiBlasio & Proctor, 1993; Walrond-Skinner, 1998).Therehasbeenlimitedresearchintheareaofforgivenessbynursesand little discussion of its implications for nursing practice. Nursingarticlesandtextsthatmentionforgivenessoftendosowithinalargerreligious, often fundamentalist Christian context (O’Brien, 1999; Ott,
27
 JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING, Vol. 19 No. 1, March 2001 27-41© 2001 American Holistic Nurses’ Association
 
1997; Singer, 1997; Tucakovic, 1994; Workman, 1988). To date, how-ever,thereisnosystematicmethodofdefiningoridentifyingtheexis-tence of this phenomenon in nursing.This concept analysis proposes to develop an operational defini-tionofforgivenessandidentifyitsapplicationstonursingtheoryandpractice.UsingthemethoddescribedbyWalkerandAvant(1995),theattributes, characteristics, and uses of the concept will be thoroughlyexamined. The results of the analysis will provide enhanced under-standingoftheconceptofforgivenessinthenursingcareofpatients.
D
EFINITIONS AND
U
SES OF THE
C
ONCEPT
As a first step in the concept analysis of forgiveness, commondescriptive definitions were gleaned from dictionaries and other ref-erencetexts.Accordingto
Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesau-rus
(1996),toforgiveis“togiveupresentmentagainst,orthedesiretopunish; pardon (an offense or offender)” (p. 243). Synonyms for for-giveness include absolution, pardon, acquittal, remission, dispensa-tion, reprieve, justification, amnesty, and respite. One is forgivingwhen they are charitable, openhearted, or generous. Commonexpressions of forgiveness such as
forgive me
and
pardon me
are oftenconveyed when someone is interrupting, asking for clarification, orseeking exoneration for certain acts.In business and finance circles, forgiveness is the act of grantingrelief from a financial obligation or debt (Granof, Bell, & Neuman,1993). The erasure or cancellation of loan payments is analogous totheactofcleansingone’smoraltransgressions,commonintheteach-ings of most of the world’s religions (Enright, Freedman, & Rique,1998). Even so, religious definitions of forgiveness are as varied asreligious practices themselves.Certain individuals, such as South African President NelsonMandela, have come to symbolize the concept of forgiveness.Imprisoned for 27 years, Mandela later forgave his captors andworked toward reconciliation in his racially torn country. RegardingMandela’s forgiveness of the South African government as theembodiment of the concept of forgiveness, Archbishop DesmondTutunoted,“[Mandela’s]forgivenessstillleavestheworldgaspingatthe sheer wonder of it” (Muller-Fahrenholz, 1997, p. xiii).
28 JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING / March 2001
 
The idea of forgiveness as a collective phenomenon was alsodescribed by Muller-Fahrenholz (1997) as a process releasing peoplefrom past evils that may have inhibited trusting relationships. Hereferred to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africaand the Arab-Israeli peace process as examples of groups exploringcollective forgiveness. He argued that forgiveness is a crucial aspectin allowing nations to successfully maintain their interests andresolve their conflicts.Many current definitions of forgiveness focus on its theoreticalmeaningorconceptualizationfromabehavioral-scienceperspective.Forgiveness is described as a process or journey whose aim is torelease or decrease bitterness, anger, resentment, or hatred towardanother or others (DiBlasio & Proctor, 1993; Freedman & Enright,1996). Others define the process of forgiveness as a means of freeingoneself from past judgments and perceptions or misperceptions ofothers (Grosskopf, 1999) or a learned response to certain situations(Ufema, 1994). Often, the process of forgiveness is linked to individ-ual efforts to heal past wounds from interpersonal injury or harmthrough the willingness or ability to release negative feelings or hurt(Baures, 1996; Hope, 1987). Simply put, forgiveness is the process of“giving up one’s right to hurt back” (Pingleton, 1997, p. 404).
R
EVIEW OF THE
L
ITERATURE
Flanigan(1992)identifiedforgivenessasafive-phaseprocessliber-atingindividualsfromhatredanddesireforretributionagainstinjur-ing parties. As she put it, “[forgiveness] is for those people who arewilling to confront their pain, accept themselves as permanentlychanged, and make difficult choices” (p. 39). The first phase of theprocess involves naming the injury and interpreting its meaningwithin one’s broader life context. From there, the individual mustclaim the injury (phase two) and assign blame to the injurer (phasethree) to begin “balancing the scales” (p. 91) in phase four. At thispoint, one can relegate the injury to the past, confront the injurer, ormirror the behavior or injury. Eventually, the individual moves tophasefive,“choosingtoforgive”(p.92)andtheabilitytoletgooftheinjury and move forward.
Brush et al. / FORGIVENESS 29
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