The Prospective Relationship of Attachment Theory and Dispositional Forgiveness: An Exploration of a Somali Population in the United States
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Attachment theory can be a valuable tool in understanding the differences in the propensity to forgive hurt.Attachment theory has been associated with the ability to forgive or respond to hurt.Both concepts involve trust, communication, empathy, and emotion regulation.This article examines the relationship between attachment style and dispositional forgiveness among a population of Somalis in the United States.Method: Fifty Somalis at the Somalis Community Association in Columbus, Ohio, participated in the study.Forgiveness was conceptualized utilizing Enright Forgiveness Inventory (Enright et al., 2000), while attachment style was measured using the Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ), 30-item statements describing characteristic styles of close relationships.Further, descriptive statistics and frequencies were run to get an overview of the sample.Data were entered into the SPSS 17.0 and analyzed using an alpha level set at 0.05.Correlation coefficients were run to determine the association between forgiveness and the various types of attachment styles.Result: The result of this study indicates that there was no significant relationship between attachment style and dispositional forgiveness among the Somalian community in Columbus, Ohio.Discussions of the results, as well as a consideration of potential future directions, are explored.Conclusion: In a close-knit, communal, and homogenous Somalis group, where family and community are considered more important than the individual, forgiveness may be more related to variables such as family and group harmony than internal personality variables.
Author: Patricia Enedudu Idoko
Institution: DeSales University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: University of Notre Dame
OpenAlex ID: W4381661882