{"title":"Is lifetime abuse forgivable in old age?","authors":"Tova Band-Winterstein, Ksenya Shulyaev, Zvi Eisikovits","doi":"10.1080/08946566.2024.2319785","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Old age is characterized by reflection and a retrospective examination of the multiple meanings of various life experiences, including lifelong abuse. Forgiveness is found to have a salutary effect, especially for older adults. To understand the place and role of forgiveness in the reflective process during aging, we performed a secondary analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews (<i>N</i> = 78) with older women survivors of abuse. Inductive thematic analysis was based on concepts developed deductively from the literature review. The findings include three main themes: (1) <i>The dimensions of forgiving: The victim as subject;</i> (2) <i>Being forgiven: Between lost forgiveness and hope;</i> and (3) <i>Self-forgiveness and the aging self</i>. Despite the known salutary effect of forgiveness, we must consider that this is not a universally desirable process. We included the dimension of forgiveness in the study of abuse throughout the older person's life course and identified further complexities in addition to the \"forgiveness\"/\"unforgiveness.\"</p>","PeriodicalId":46983,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect","volume":" ","pages":"198-225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08946566.2024.2319785","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/2/20 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Old age is characterized by reflection and a retrospective examination of the multiple meanings of various life experiences, including lifelong abuse. Forgiveness is found to have a salutary effect, especially for older adults. To understand the place and role of forgiveness in the reflective process during aging, we performed a secondary analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews (N = 78) with older women survivors of abuse. Inductive thematic analysis was based on concepts developed deductively from the literature review. The findings include three main themes: (1) The dimensions of forgiving: The victim as subject; (2) Being forgiven: Between lost forgiveness and hope; and (3) Self-forgiveness and the aging self. Despite the known salutary effect of forgiveness, we must consider that this is not a universally desirable process. We included the dimension of forgiveness in the study of abuse throughout the older person's life course and identified further complexities in addition to the "forgiveness"/"unforgiveness."
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect is the peer-reviewed quarterly journal that explores the advances in research, policy and practice, and clinical and ethical issues surrounding the abuse and neglect of older people. This unique forum provides state-of-the-art research and practice that is both international and multidisciplinary in scope. The journal"s broad, comprehensive approach is only one of its strengths—it presents training issues, research findings, case studies, practice and policy issues, book and media reviews, commentary, and historical background on a wide range of topics. Readers get tools and techniques needed for better detecting and responding to actual or potential elder abuse and neglect.