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Forgiveness
I was part of a more recent study on forgiveness where we looked at forgiveness within stepfamilies. Challenges and conflicts experienced by stepfamilies are well documented, but researchers are increasingly focusing on communication processes that facilitate resilience in these types of relationships. In other contexts, communicating forgiveness has been linked to relational healing after transgressions or adversity. In our study, we sought to better understand how stepchildren talk about the role of forgiveness in the development of positive adult stepchild–stepparent relationships. Data were drawn from interviews with adult stepchildren who have a positive relationship with a stepparent. Following an interpretive analysis, we identified five themes representing the ways forgiveness was conceptualized and enacted in these positive stepchild–stepparent relationships: forgiveness as (a) healing family connections, (b) explicit negotiation, (c) maturation and acceptance, (d) a response to vulnerability and compassion, and (e) evidence of relational growth. To read more about our study please search for Discourses of forgiveness and resilience in stepchild–stepparent relationships in the 2018 Journal of Applied Communication Research, volume 46.
Waldron, V. R., Braithwaite, D. O., Oliver, B. M., Kloeber, D. N., & Marsh, J.S. (2018). Discourses of forgiveness and resilience in stepchild–stepparent relationships. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 46(5), 561–582.
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