"Truth & Forgiveness in South Africa: A Multidisciplinary Approach"
Audrey Chapman, Ph.D., representative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will work with members of the government of South Africa to analyze the transcripts of the testimonies of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the grand political experiment of our time. President Mandela, instead of seeking to purge the country of people who embraced apartheid (literally apartness of the races), sought to heal the wounds of the people through setting up a political process that encouraged confession of political crimes and the granting of amnesty in return for speaking the truth. As hundreds of people in South Africa have testified in TRC hearings, tales of horrible wrongdoings and responses of moving forgiveness have come forth. Chapman hopes to discover some of the qualities of the human spirit that can promote forgiveness in the face of grief, loss, and horror through analyzing transcripts of testimonies. Research References

"Healing, Forgiveness, & Reconciliation in Rwanda"
Ervin Staub, Ph.D., in the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst, is part of the Trauma, Research, Education, and Training Institute. He and a team of researchers seek to investigate whether-and if so, how-forgiveness can possibly occur in Rwanda. He will constitute groups of Hutus, of Tutsis, and of mixtures of the tribes. People who did not directly participate in the massacres are included so that victims and families of those killed can more easily come to forgive members of the other tribe. Research References

"Forgiveness & the Reduction of Intergroup Conflict"
Ed Cairns, Ph.D., at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, in the Centre for the Study of Conflict, seeks to provide the first extensive theoretical and empirical study of intergroup forgiveness within Northern Ireland. One of this study's ideas is that much of our social behavior is determined by our social group. Thus we are more likely to forgive acts of violence committed by one of our own group than by someone with whom we did not associate. Utilizing eight studies, Cairns proposes to show that under appropriate conditions the differences between any two groups will not be perceived, and this will bring about a reconciliation. Research References

"Is There a Role for Forgiveness & Spirituality in Coping with Combat Trauma?"
Ming Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D., at the Harvard Institute for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, proposes to describe an empirical investigation of the role of forgiveness in coping with trauma associated with military service in Vietnam. The overall objective is to use unique methodology to draw general conclusions regarding the actual and potential roles of forgiveness for coping with combat and other traumatic, life-threatening experiences. This study will utilize the VET Registry to identify and interview 170 pairs of identical twins, one of which will have had combat exposure while the other twin will not have served in Vietnam. Research References

"Assessment of Forgiveness: Psychometric, Interpersonal, & Psychophysiological Correlates"
Warren Jones, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee, will examine people who have been hurt or offended and whether they have a physiological reaction after they forgive that person. He will also see what effects a supportive network would have in helping to heal the trauma. Participants will be given an anger recall interview during which their blood pressure, heart rate, facial EMG and skin conductance will be monitored and recorded. These Results will help to prove that forgiveness correlates with emotions and personality. Research References

"Does Forgiveness Enhance Brain Activation Associated with Empathy in Victims of Assault?"
Peter Woodruff, MRCP, professor at the University of Sheffield, England, will examine patients with post-traumatic stress disorder after a criminal assault. He will use state-of-the-art mental imaging techniques to see if parts of the brain are activated when people forgive the offender. Research References