Holocaust Survivor Typology and Forgiveness

Abstract

This article examines the long-term coping patterns of aging Holocaust survivors and their relationship to attitudes toward forgiving in later stages of life. Survivors who reported increased ability to cope positively with past events in their lives were predicted to be more likely to be forgiving than those who reported difficulty in long-term coping. Three research instruments were used to examine this: the typology of survivors; the Life History Questionnaire, based on Erikson's eight stages of development; and the Enright Forgiveness Inventory. No significant differences were found between the three groups (clusters) of survivors and their attitudes towards forgiveness. It is suggested that by the time these survivors reached old age, issues relating to prior traumatic experiences had possibly been worked out.

KEYWORDS:

• Holocaust survivors
• long-term coping
• forgiveness

Notes

This research was funded by Grant 10282 from the John Templeton Foundation: Roberta R. Greene (principal investigator); Marilyn Armour, Harriet L. Cohen, Constance Corley, and Carmen Morano (co-investigators); Shira Hantman (statistical consultant); and Sandra A. Graham (project manager). The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

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Note. *p < .05.

Note. *p < .05.