The Effect of the Empathy Training Program Applied To Mothers on the Levels of Forgiveness and Empathy

Year 2017, Volume: 2017 Issue: 9, 212 - 226, 31.10.2017

Leyla Ulus Ayşe Belgin Aksoy

Abstract

In this
study, it was aimed to determine the effect of the empathy training program
applied to the mothers of the adolescents, on their empathy and forgiveness
levels.In line with this general objective, the research was conducted as an
test study based on the pretest-posttest model with a control group. As data
collection tools; The empathy levels of mothers were used by making the
validity reliability study by the empathy scale researcher developed by
Jolliffe and Farrington, (2006).For measuring the forgiveness and forgiveness
probability levels of mothers, forgiveness and forgiveness probability tests
developed by Rye, Loiacono, Folck, Olszewski, Heim ve Madia (2001) were used by
making a validity reliability study. Empathy, forgiveness and forgiveness
probability scales were applied to 23 mothers in different socioeconomic levels
that have children who attend 10th and 11th grade in Ankara and their empathy
and forgiveness levels were determined. At the end of the empathy training
consisting of 16 sessions developed by the researcher, final tests were
applied. At the stage of analyzing and interpreting the data obtained from the
research, Correlation Analysis and t-Test were used. At the result of the
research, it was determined that there is a meaningful relationship between the
empathy and the forgiveness and forgiveness probability levels, and also that
the training provided has created a positive effect on the empathy, forgiveness
and forgiveness probability levels of the mothers.

Keywords

Empathy, forgiveness, mother-adolescent relationship

References

• Aalgaard, R. A., Bolen, R. M., & Nugent, W. R. (2016). A literature review of forgiveness as a beneficial intervention to increase relationship satisfaction in couples therapy. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 26(1), 46-55.
• Albiero, P., Matricardi, G., Speltri, D., &Toso, D. (2009). The assessment of empathy in adolescence: A contribution to the Italian validation of the “Basic Empathy Scale”. Journal of adolescence, 32(2), 393-408.
• Allemand, M., Steiner, M., & Hill, P. L. (2013).Effects of a forgiveness intervention for older adults. Journal of counseling psychology, 60(2), 279.
• Berry, J. W., Worthington, E. L., O'Connor, L. E., Parrott, L., & Wade, N. G. (2005). Forgivingness, vengeful rumination, and affective traits.Journal of personality, 73(1), 183-226.
• Blatt, L. J., & Wertheim, E. H. (2015). Development of the Factors Related to Forgiveness Inventory (FRFI). European Journal of Psychological Assessment.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (1998).Kovaryansanalizi: varyansanaliziilekarşılaştırmalıbirinceleme. Ankara ÜniversitesiEğitimBilimleriFakültesiDergisi, 31.
• Carson, J. W., Keefe, F. J., Goli, V., Fras, A. M., Lynch, T. R., Thorp, S. R., &Buechler, J. L. (2005). Forgiveness and chronic low back pain: A preliminary study examining the relationship of forgiveness to pain, anger, and psychological distress. The Journal of Pain, 6(2), 84-91.
• Coie, J., & Dodge, K. (1998).Aggression and antisocial behaviour.Handbook of Child Psychology (5th ed.), 3. Social, Emotional, and Personality Development Damon, New York: Wiley. (3), 779-862.
• D’Ambrosio, F., Olivier, M., Didon, D., &Besche, C. (2009). The basic empathy scale: a french validation of a measure of empathy in youth. Personality and Individual Differences, 46 (2), 160–165.
• Doyle, A. B., &Aboud, F. E. (1995).A longitudinal study of white children's racial prejudice as a social-cognitive development.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982), 209-228.
• Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. (1987).The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors.Psychological bulletin, 101(1), 91-119.
• Exline, J. J., Baumeister, R. F., Zell, A. L., Kraft, A. J., &Witvliet, C. V. O. (2008). Not so innocent: Does seeing one's own capability for wrongdoing predict forgiveness? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(3), 495-515.
• Farrow, T. F., Zheng, Y., Wilkinson, I. D., Spence, S. A., Deakin, J. W., Tarrier, N., & Woodruff, P. W. (2001). Investigating the functional anatomy of empathy and forgiveness. Neuroreport, 12(11), 2433-2438.
• Fincham, F.D., Jackson, H., & Beach, R. H. (2005). Transgression severity and forgiveness: different moderators for objective and subjective severity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(6), 860-875.
• Greenberg, L.S., Warwar S. H. & Malcolm W. M. (2008). Differential effects of emotion- focused therapy and psychoeducation in facilitating forgiveness empathy development with conflict behavior towards parents. Journal of adolescence, 47, 60-70.
• Grossman, D., Neckerman, H., Thomas, D., Liu, P., Asher, K., Beland, K., Frey, K., & Riva, F. (1997) Effectiveness of a violence prevention curriculum among children in elementary school, Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1605-1611.
• Gunderson, P. R., & Ferrari, J. R. (2008). Forgiveness of sexual cheating in romantic relationships: Effects of discovery method, frequency of offense, and presence of apology. North American Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 1-14.
• Guzzetta, R. (1976) Acquisition and transfer of empathy by the parents of early adolescents through structured learning training. Journal of Counseling Psychology.23 (5):449-453.
• Hansen, M. J., Enright, R. D., Baskin, T. W., &Klatt, J. (2008).A palliative care intervention in forgiveness therapy for elderly terminally ill cancer patients.Journal of palliative care, 25(1), 51-60.
• Hodgson, L., K., & Wertheim E., H. (2007). Does good emotion management aid forgivening? Multiple dimensions of empathy, emotion management and forgiveness self and others. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 24(6), 931-949
• Hills, A. M. (2001). Empathy and offender behavior: The motivational context. G. B. Traverso,& L. Bagnoli (Eds.), Psychology and law in a changing world: New trends in theory, research and practiceiçinde (s. 51-63). New York: Routledge.
• Hoffman, M. L. (1987). The contribution of empathy to justice and moral judgment. N. Eisenberg,& J. Strayer (Ed.), Empathy and its development (47-80). Cambridge: Cambridge University
• Jolliffe, D., & Farrington, D. P. (2006).Development and validation of the Basic Empathy Scale. Journal of adolescence, 29(4), 589-611.
• Kalliopuska, M., &Tiitinen, U. (1991).Influence of two developmental programmes on the empathy and prosociability of preschool children.Perceptual and Motor skills, 72(1), 323-328.
• Kato, T. (2016). Effects of partner forgiveness on romantic break-ups in dating relationships: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 95, 185-189.
• Kmiec, S. M. (2009). An analysis of sex differences in empathy and forgiveness.University and Medical Center Insitutional Review Board, East Carolina University.
• Kimmes, J. G., &Durtschi, J. A. (2016). Forgiveness in Romantic Relationships: The Roles of Attachment, Empathy, and Attributions. Journal of marital and family therapy, 42(4), 645-658.
• Lin, W. F., Mack, D., Enright, R. D., Krahn, D., & Baskin, T. W. (2004).Effects of forgiveness therapy on anger, mood, and vulnerability to substance use among inpatient substance-dependent clients.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 72(6), 1114.
• Lyons, C., & Hazier, R. J. (2002). The influence of student development level on improving counselor student empathy.Counselor Education and Supervision, 42(2), 119-130.
• Macaskill, A., Maltby, J., & Day, L. (2002).Forgiveness of self and others and emotional empathy. The Journal of social psychology, 142(5), 663-665.
• Marshall, W. L., Hudson, S. M., Jones, R., & Fernandez, Y. M. (1995). Empathy in Sex Offenders, Clinical Psychology Review, 15(2), s. 99-113.
• McCullough, M.E., Worthington, E. L., &Rachal, K. C. (1997).Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships.Journal of Personality and SocialPsychology, 73 (2):321-336.
• McCullough, M. E., Rachal, K. C., Sandage, S. J., Worthington Jr, E. L., Brown, S. W., &Hight, T. L. (1998). Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships: II. Theoretical elaboration and measurement.Journal of personality and social psychology, 75(6), 1586.
• McCullough, M. E., Pargament, K. I., &Thoresen, C. E. (Ed.) (2001).Forgiveness: Theory, research, and practice. Guilford.
• McCullough, M. E., &Witvliet, C. (2002).The psychology of forgiveness. C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Ed.), Handbook of positive psychology (446 - 458). New York: Oxford University.
• McCullough, M. E. Fincham, F.D., & Tsang, J. A. (2003). Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: the temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 540–557.
• Mcdevitt, T. M. (1991).Adolescents' perceptions of mothers' and fathers' prosocial actions and empathic responses. Youth and Society, 22(3), 387-409.
• Menahem, S., & Love, M. (2013). Forgiveness in psychotherapy: The key to healing. Journal of clinical psychology, 69(8), 829-835.
• Miller, K. I., Stiff, J. B., & Ellis, B. H. (1988).Communication and empathy as precursors to burnout among human service workers. Communications Monographs, 55(3), 250-265.
• Newberg, A. B., d’Aquili, E. G., Newberg, S. K. &deMarici, V. (2000). The Neuropsychological Correlates of Forgiveness. M.E. McCullough, K.I. Pargament and C.A.
• Thoresen (Eds.), Forgiveness: Theory, Research, and Practiceiçinde (s. 91–110). New York: The Guilford Press
• Norton, L. (2009). The influence of moral beauty: the effects of empathy-building and elevation on forgiveness distinguished, Majors Thesis University of Virginia.
• Otfinowski, G. A. (2000) Effects of empathy training on the peer approval of third graders, Doctoral Dissertation, University of San Francisco.
• Pecukonis, E. V. (1990). A cognitive/affective empathy training program of ego development in agressive adolescent females, Adolescence.12, 97, 59-76.
• Pareek, S., Mathur, N., &Mangnani, K. (2016).Subjective and psychological well-being as related to dispositional and motivational forgiveness among adolescents. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 7(1), 125.
• Rye, M. S., Loiacono, D. M., Folck, C. D., Olszewski, B. T., Heim, T. A., &Madia, B. P. (2001).Evaluation of the psychometric properties of two forgiveness scales. Current Psychology, 20(3), 260-277.
• Scabini, E. (2016). Family relationships: A long-lasting source of well-being. Community Psychology in Global Perspective, 2(1), 36-51.
• Schwenck, C., Göhle, B., Hauf, J., Warnke, A., Freitag, C. M., & Schneider, W. (2014). Cognitive and emotional empathy in typically developing children: The influence of age, gender, and intelligence. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 11(1), 63-76.
• Stuijfzand, S., De Wied, M., Kempes, M., Van de Graaff, J., Branje, S., &Meeus, W. (2016).Gender differences in empathic sadness towards persons of the same-versus other-sex during adolescence. Sex roles, 75(9-10), 434-446.
• Swickert, R., Robertson, S., & Baird, D. (2016). Age moderates the mediational role of empathy in the association between gender and forgiveness. Current Psychology, 35(3), 354-360.
• Tebes, J. K., Grady, K., & Snow, D. L. (1989). Parent training in decision-making facilitation: Skill acquisition and relationship to gender. Family relations, 243-247.
• Teding van Berkhout, E., &Malouff, J. M. (2016). The efficacy of empathy training: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(1), 32-41
• Toussaint, L., & Webb, J. R. (2005). Gender differences in the relationship between empathy and forgiveness, The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(6), 673–685
• Wal, R. C., Karremans, J. C., &Cillessen, A. H. (2016).Causes and Consequences of Children's Forgiveness. Child Development Perspectives.
• Walker, D. F., &Gorsuch, R. L. (2002).Forgiveness within the Big Five personality model. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(7), 1127-1137.
• Welton, G. L., Hill, P. C., & Seybold, K. S. (2008). Forgiveness in the trenches: Empathy, perspective taking, and anger. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 27(2), 168-177.
• Witvliet, C.V.O., Ludwig, T. E., & Vander Laan, K. L. (2001). Granting forgiveness or harboring grudges: Implications for emotion, physiology, and health. Psychological Science, 12(2), 117-123.
• WoldarskyMeneses, C., & Greenberg, L. S. (2014). Interpersonal Forgiveness in Emotion‐Focused Couples' Therapy: Relating Process to Outcome. Journal of marital and family therapy, 40(1), 49-67.
• Worthington, E. L. (1998). An empathy-humility-commitment model of forgiveness applied within family dyads. Journal of Family Therapy, 20(1), 59-76
• Worthington Jr, E. L., Griffin, B. J., Lavelock, C. R., Hughes, C. M., Greer, C. L., Sandage, S. J., & Rye, M. S. (2016). Forgiveness are Exemplars of Positive Clinical Psychology. The Wiley Handbook of Positive Clinical Psychology: An Integrative Approach to Studying and Improving Well-being, 365.
• Van Lissa, C. J., Hawk, S. T., de Wied, M., Koot, H. M., van Lier, P., &Meeus, W. (2014).The longitudinal interplay of affective and cognitive empathy within and between adolescents and mothers. Developmental psychology, 50(4), 1219.
• Van Lissa, C. J., Hawk, S. T., Branje, S., Koot, H. M., &Meeus, W. H. (2016). Common and unique associations of adolescents' affective and cognitive
• Youssef, F. F., Nunes, P., Sa, B., & Williams, S. (2014). An exploration of changes in cognitive and emotional empathy among medical students in the Caribbean.International journal of medical education, 5, 185.
• Zechmeister, J. S., & Romero, C. (2002). Victim and offender accounts of interpersonal conflict: autobiographical narratives of forgiveness and unforgiveness. Journal of personality and social psychology, 82(4), 675.