| Description |
Previous studies have identified one strategy (forgiveness) as efficacious for enhancing subjective well-being. Despite the interest in forgiveness and its relationship with physical and psychological health, training in forgiveness as a positive aging strategy has yet to be examined as contributing to well-being in an older adult population. The current study attempted to address this issue through engaging processes related to forgiveness such as dispositional empathy. Manuals were created based on the positive aging forgiveness strategy. The feasibility of a forgiveness intervention based on those manuals was assessed. The following two trainings were designed: (a) forgiveness and (b) number-memory. Participants self-selected into either of the trainings. The forgiveness training group (n = 15) consisted of individuals who participated in a forgiveness strategy training workshop, and the number-memory training group (n = 6) consisted of individuals who learned a number-memory mnemonic. Impact of the strategy training was assessed on measures of dispositional forgiveness, empathy, satisfaction with life, and memory self-efficacy. Participating in a positive aging strategy training did not result in statistically significant changes on any of the measures employed. Future research implications are discussed that may have contributed to these "no-effect" results. |
