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Unforgiving Pain: A Qualitative Exploration of Chronic Pain and Self-Forgiveness

DiPietro, Ellette K
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1503616087896433

Abstract Details

2017, Psy. D., Antioch University, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology.
This dissertation describes a qualitative study exploring associations between self-forgiveness and pain perception in the narratives of women with chronic pain. Quantitative research has demonstrated strong relationships among chronic pain, affect, and health, and among forgiveness, affect, and health. The largely unexplored overlap between these areas suggests the possibility of an inverse relationship between self-forgiveness and pain perception. A single preliminary study was found in the research literature supporting this relationship (Carson et al., 2005). A literature review explores the construct of forgiveness, differentiates religious and psychological conceptualizations, distinguishes other from self-forgiveness, and touches on the connections among forgiveness, health, and wellbeing. Chronic pain is defined, advances in the understanding of pain, pain pathways, and the evolutionary co-opting of the sensory system for affective signals are discussed, as are the multiple impacts of chronic pain. The individual experience of chronic pain and self-forgiveness has not yet been represented in the research literature. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design was used to understand how self-forgiveness appears in the narratives of four women experiencing chronic pain and if it interacts with the pain experience. Self-report instruments were used descriptively to supplement the interviews. Narratives were consistent with the pain and forgiveness literature but the anticipated overlap was not clear. Survey results also did not demonstrate a clear relationship between pain severity and self-forgiveness. The reasons why this might be the case are discussed.
Martha Straus, PhD (Committee Chair)
Barbara Belcher-Timme, PsyD (Committee Member)
Victor Pantesco, EdD (Committee Member)
164 p.
Clinical Psychology
chronic pain; self-forgiveness; affect; interpretative phenomenological analysis

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • DiPietro, E. K. (2017). Unforgiving Pain: A Qualitative Exploration of Chronic Pain and Self-Forgiveness [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1503616087896433

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • DiPietro, Ellette. Unforgiving Pain: A Qualitative Exploration of Chronic Pain and Self-Forgiveness. 2017. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1503616087896433.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • DiPietro, Ellette. "Unforgiving Pain: A Qualitative Exploration of Chronic Pain and Self-Forgiveness." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1503616087896433

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1503616087896433
601
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.