Conceptualization and process of forgiveness of Chinese female intimate partner violence survivors

Abstract

As intimate partner violence (IPV) against women results in adverse and lasting effects, recovery after separation is important for female IPV survivors. Forgiveness, a psychological response that deals with painful experience from hurtful events, is a substantial factor in recovery from IPV. However, detailed knowledge of forgiveness in female survivors’ recovery is underexplored. Specifically, conceptualization (the components constituting forgiveness and characteristics of forgiveness) and process of forgiveness need further exploration.

Grounded theory, a qualitative approach, was adopted in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 Chinese women in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Findings showed that a decrease of resentment toward abusive former partners and the development of a new understanding of them constituted survivors’ forgiveness. Besides, three characteristics of forgiveness were discovered: 1) forgiveness is an unintentional process; 2) boundary setting at the physical (disconnection) and psychological levels (emotional detachment and development of new identity) was important for forgiveness; and 3) forgiveness did not indicate or facilitate reconciliation.

Based on survivors’ narratives of their specific changes and focuses in different periods after separation, a strength-based forgiveness process model, including stages of empowerment, transformation, and integration, was developed. In the empowerment stage, the female survivors gained strength from intrapersonal (development of self-efficacy and self-confidence), behavioral (focus transfer, emotion regulation, and dealing with life crisis), and interpersonal levels (gaining social support and reflection on others’ responses). In the transformation stage, female survivors calmly looked back at the past and dealt with their traumatic experiences through cognitive transformation (new constructs) of their IPV experiences and emotional transformation toward their abusive former partners. The female survivors explored the underlying reasons for the abusive behaviors of their former partners (impacts of original family and personality) and reflected the roles of themselves and their interactions. Their negative emotions (mainly resentment and anger) decreased; positive emotions, including empathy and appreciation, emerged. In the integration stage, the female survivors freed themselves from the past. They accepted their abusive relationships, let go of their painful experiences, and even blessed their former partners. Moreover, the survivors summarized their changes resulting from empowerment and transformation and applied them to their lives. The female survivors became self-affirmed, viewed relationships with broader perspectives, interacted well with family members, and gained insights into intimate relationships. Two trajectories were found in the forgiveness process of the participants. The first was going through the stages in sequence, and the second was circling back and forth between the empowerment and transformation stages before moving to integration.

By considering the recovery context of the female survivors, this study contributes to 1) knowledge by discovering forgiveness without reconciliation and the strength-based process of forgiveness; 2) practice by providing insights into intervention, such as facilitating emotional and cognitive transformation and boundary setting; and 3) policy by providing potential working points for policy makers and government regarding improving the different levels of empowerment with a strength-based and holistic perspective, which offers a platform for the emergence of forgiveness. Research limitations and recommendations for future studies are also presented. (499 words)