The effects of forgiveness training on anger and it's components in married individuals

The aim of the present research was to determine the effects of forgiveness training on anger and it`s components in married individuals. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test and follow up and a control group was employed. The population consisted of all the married couples resident in the city of Zahedan in South East Iran. Research participants included 140 married individuals who were chosen randomly and were placed in either an experimental or a control group (70 in each group). The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2, 1998) was used as the research instrument. The experimental group received forgiveness training for six sessions of 90 minutes duration each, one session per week. The control group was allocated to a waiting list. Mixed ANOVA for repeated measures and descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. Results showed a significant effect of forgiveness training on reduction of anger and it`s components including state anger, trait anger, anger-in, anger-out, external control and internal control in post-test state and after four months follow up. This research has implications for family therapists to use forgiveness training in order to reduce anger. It is suggested to adapt the existing training package in the context of the Iranian culture.