Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Psychological Pathways to Conflict Transformation and Peace Building

The book addresses the need to move via forgiveness and reconciliation beyond the negative effects of trauma on individuals, couples, families, and communities. Both human-created trauma and the spiritual and psychological distress that results from natural cause (e.g. earthquakes, floods, illness, and impending death) are included as situations that call forth the need to forgive others, the universe, God, and, at times, oneself. The authors will approach forgiveness from several perspectives: social-psychological, biopsychological, human developmental, multi-generational, psychotherapeutic, psychoeducational, spiritual, via the media and the arts, or through construction of memorials, as well from a perspective of working toward world peace.

Dr. Anie Kalayjian is a professor of psychology at Fordham University. She is also President of the Association for Disaster and Mass Trauma Studies and the Armenian American Society for Studies on Stress and Genocide. Dr. Kalayjian has been involved at the United Nations for the past fifteen years, where she works with several departments focusing on human rights, women, and mental health.Dr. Raymond F. Paloutzian received his doctoral degree from Claremont Graduate School and has been a professor of experimental and social psychology at Westmont College, Santa Barbara since 1981. He has been a visiting professor teaching psychology of religion at Stanford University and Guest Professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Western Psychological Association, and has served as President of APA Division 36 (Psychology & Religion). He is currently the editor of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.