The Role of Gratitude and Patience in Forgiveness

Abstract

Forgiveness plays a well-recognized role as a significant psychological process that enables individuals to release feelings of bitterness, reduce hostility and gain emotional balance following conflicts and wrongdoings in relationships. Although previous studies have explored forgiveness in terms of its associations with empathy, apology and personality, minimum research has focused on the role of positive character strengths in promoting forgiveness, particularly gratitude and patience. This study aimed to bridge this gap by exploring how gratitude and patience plays a role in forgiveness. This was done with a correlational study. The study used three scales. One for each variable. Patience was used as a mediator while gratitude served as a criterion variable and forgiveness as an outcome variable. Results showed a positive relationship between all three variables, and mediation analysis confirmed full mediation. Patience completely explained the pathway from gratitude to forgiveness. The findings highlight the importance of targeting patience, not only gratitude. This is especially important and useful for mental health professionals.