Forgiveness, Retaliation and Paranoid Reactions

Abstract

It has been suggested that clinical states from grudgingness and habitual bitterness through to delusions of persecution are best resolved by forgiving. The process of forgiving requires that previously unacknowledged impulses, particularly aggressive ones, are accepted in oneself and others. If the therapist is aware of this, he can, in the transference, reinforce the patient's good introjects by providing a non-judgemental, acceptant model for the patient and thereby facilitate the adoption of the forgiving attitude. Sometimes habitual forgiving can occur as a reaction formation, and should be dealt with as such.