Chapter 9 - Learning to Forgive Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9 is the shortest chapter in the text, approximately half the average length. The chapter examines commonly held perceptions about the process of forgiveness and challenges them with updated understanding. Many individuals are prevented from forgiving because they hold inflated or erroneous ideas about forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness is a process, which involves mental development and occurs over time. Forgiveness does not imply that negative feelings are replaced by positive feelings. Forgiveness does not indicate acceptance of destructive behaviors and does not condone the negative behavior of others. Forgiveness is not necessarily a one-way process; it is acceptable to make requests or demands upon which forgiveness is predicated. Forgiving does not necessarily infer forgetting personal injury.

The author argues that forgiveness should not be freely and unconditionally offered but that it should be...