Forgiveness on Women who experienced Emotional Abuse

Introduction:

Emotional abuse is a serious issue. It has many psychological effects, particularly for the victim. It is a form of violence that often offends, humiliates, or causes fear. Emotional abuse can affect to a person’s mental health. People who have experienced emotional abuse are vulnerable to psychological problems. When it comes to emotional abuse on women, the effects can be diverse. Moreover, women who have experienced emotional abuse find it challenging to let go of these traumatic events.    

Goals and methods:

This study aims to obtain the description of forgiveness of women who experienced emotional abuse in a romantic relationship. This research used phenomenological method with in-depth interview technique. This approach seeks to explore and understand individual’s lived experiences. Challenges arise when researchers attempt to understand the complexity of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions. Participants were five women in the age group 22-27 years. They also had stories with emotional abuse.

Results:

Overall, this study successfully identified a description of forgiveness. In granting forgiveness, one participant stated that she found it easier to concentrate and felt more positive emotions within herself. Some participants also showed a positive attitude in forgiving by not seeking revenge on their ex-lovers.  In addition, the influence of religiosity and social support in giving forgiveness was experienced by all participants.

Conclusions:

The process of forgiveness experienced by participants was similar from one to another. Indeed, some participants also experienced difficulties. Three participants reported feelings of inferiority, loss of confidence, and even self-harming behavior. The greatest motivation for forgiveness is based on the desire to focus on oneself after being in an abusive relationship. Besides, reading books, attending seminars, and even going to a counselor can also help them maintain forgiveness.