Phases of Forgiveness in Early Adult Women with Parental Infidelity

Abstract

Infidelity in marital relationships is a pervasive phenomenon with a
propensity to increase over time. Infidelity often involves children's
awareness, leading to adverse impacts on parent-child relationships,
children's self-image and identity, mental health, and their future romantic
relationships. Although substantial research has been conducted on the
forgiveness process among couples, there remains a need for further
exploration into the forgiveness process in children, particularly young
adults, who have experienced parental infidelity. This study aims to
investigate the stages of forgiveness in young adults who have encountered
infidelity by both parents. Employing a phenomenological qualitative
approach, this research involved in-depth interviews with two young adult
women who experienced parental infidelity. The findings indicate that both
participants expressed a willingness to forgive both parents involved in the
infidelity. However, the forgiveness process varied between parents.
Forgiveness towards the mother advanced to the deepening stage (Participant
1) and the action stage (Participant 2), while forgiveness towards the father
was impeded, halting at the disclosure stage. The father's lack of
demonstrated change in attitude or remorse following the affair, the absence
of the father's alignment with family values, the child's perception of the
affair, and the father's overall behavior and attitude were identified as
barriers to forgiving the father. This study highlights the complexity of the
forgiveness process in young adults dealing with parental infidelity and
underscores the need for tailored support mechanisms to facilitate
forgiveness and emotional healing.