Given the complex and distinctive nature of forgiveness in marriage, an individualized perspective that allows the process of forgiving one’s partner to be understood appears essential. Fincham et al. (2005) highlight the importance of examining how spouses define, justify, experience, and express forgiveness, which makes a qualitative approach particularly suitable. However, Polish literature lacks qualitative studies exploring experiences of forgiveness toward a spouse. The present research aimed to examine how laypersons conceptualize forgiveness in marriage and whether distinct dimensions can be identified in these understandings. The study analyzed interviews with 302 married individuals (50% women, 50% men) aged 22–82 years (M = 41.53), whose marital duration ranged from 1 to 58 years (M = 21.15). Participants were asked to provide their own definition of forgiveness in marriage. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), which allowed the researchers to identify ten thematic categories: letting go of negative thoughts about the event and the spouse, reduction of negative emotions, cessation of negative behaviors, emergence of positive emotions, reconciliation, forgiveness as a condition for relationship stability, the marital bond, elements of the forgiveness process, transformation, and a moral–spiritual dimension. The findings suggest that spouses perceive forgiveness as both an internal and interpersonal process that constitutes an integral part of marital relationships.
Lay Understandings of Forgiveness in Marriage: A Qualitative Analysis of a Polish Sample