EP 15: Principles of Forgiveness

If you were wondering how academia and the mental health industry feel about forgiveness, the personal experience of forgiveness expert Robert D. Enright, PhD offers some insight. In his book Forgiveness is a Choice, Enright explains why he had to forgive more than ever as he researched forgiveness, ran studies, and worked with hundreds of patients. In his book he says, “Many of my colleagues in the social sciences, quite frankly, thought that I had lost my mind studying such a ‘soft or inappropriate topic’ such as forgiveness. ‘Leave the examination of forgiveness to the clergy,’ I was told. 'You'll never get a job working in academia if you stick with Enright,' my graduate students were counseled. 'This topic has nothing to do with social science,' I heard whispered more than once."  Is it any wonder that forgiveness as an invaluable tool for emotional healing, relationship building, and personal growth has been virtually lost?