Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2013 Emerging Forms of Awareness about Forgiveness: An Analysis of What High Profile Leaders Think Stephen Bauman Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change Follow this and additional works at: http://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Leadership Studies Commons, and the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Bauman, Stephen, "Emerging Forms of Awareness about Forgiveness: An Analysis of What High Profile Leaders Think" (2013). Dissertations & Theses. 41. http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/41 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. EMERGING FORMS OF AWARENESS ABOUT FORGIVENESS AND LEADERSHIP: AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT HIGH PROFILE LEADERS THINK STEPHEN BAUMAN A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September, 2012 This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled: EMERGING FORMS OF AWARENESS ABOUT FORGIVENESS AND LEADERSHIP: AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT HIGH PROFILE LEADERS THINK prepared by Stephen Bauman is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Change. Approved by: Alan Guskin, Ph.D., Chair date Philomena Essed, Ph.D., Committee Member date Laura Roberts, Ph.D., Committee Member date Gene Rice, Ph.D., External Reader date Copyright 2012 Stephen Bauman All rights reserved Abstract Over the last several decades forgiveness research has exploded across a wide array of scholarly disciplines from psychology and sociology to political theory, medicine and the arts, but it has not yet captured the full attention of researchers concerned specifically with leadership. This situation is further complicated by the lack of an agreed-upon definition/understanding of forgiveness both within and across disciplines. This study explores what high profile leaders think about forgiveness and begins to fill the gap in leadership studies concerning the meanings and applications of forgiveness among leaders. Data was gathered through responsive interviewing of 13 high profile leaders on what they think about forgiveness. Their responses delineating congruencies, discrepancies, philosophical and/or theological frameworks, applications and experiences are reported with rich description. Areas for further research are recommended. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolonk.edu/etd i Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Chapter I: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Synopsis of Contextual Frames of Reference for Forgiveness Research ....................... 1 Definition of Forgiveness ............................................................................................... 6 Purpose of This Study ..................................................................................................... 7 Epistemological Stance ................................................................................................... 8 Owning My Personal Perspective ................................................................................... 9 Organization of This Dissertation ................................................................................. 11 Chapter II: Review of the Literature ................................................................................. 12 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 12 Relevance of Forgiveness for Leaders and Leadership Studies .................................... 12 Useful Categories of Forgiveness Research for Advancing a Conversation With Leaders About Forgiveness ........................................................................................... 33 Definition and/or Meaning. ....................................................................................... 33 Diplomacy and/or Reconciliation. ............................................................................ 37 Religious/Spiritual Frameworks. .............................................................................. 39 Forgiveness Intervention. .......................................................................................... 39 Comparative Religions. ............................................................................................. 40 Linking Forgiveness With Leadership .......................................................................... 41 ii Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter III: Methodology ................................................................................................. 53 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 53 Constructivist Inquiry Methodology ............................................................................. 56 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 65 Chapter IV: The Interviews, Participants, Definitions, Content, and Analysis ................ 67 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 67 Participants .................................................................................................................... 70 Interview Content.......................................................................................................... 77 First Things. .............................................................................................................. 77 Defining Forgiveness. ............................................................................................... 80 Forgiveness in Personal Relationships...................................................................... 88 Forgiveness in Organizations. ................................................................................. 100 Forgiveness in Culture and Society. ...................................................................... 113 Chapter V: Discussion, Limitations, and Implications .................................................. 123 General Discussion ..................................................................................................... 123 Summary of General Discussion ................................................................................ 129 Emergent Themes ....................................................................................................... 130 Summary of Emergent Themes .................................................................................. 141 Limitations of This Research ...................................................................................... 143 iii Implications of This Research .................................................................................... 144 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 155 Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 157 References ....................................................................................................................... 163 iv 1 Chapter I: Introduction In Chapter I, I briefly discuss contextual frames of reference for forgiveness research, establish my working definition of forgiveness and present the purpose of this study. I also describe my epistemological stance and provide an overview of the dissertation. Synopsis of Contextual Frames of Reference for Forgiveness Research The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School in New York City held a series of public dialogues over several years on the topic of forgiveness that was eventually summarized in, Considering Forgiveness (2009), the first in a series of books dedicated to topics of political urgency. The volume’s cover jacket advertises the content this way: What do we mean when we say forgiveness? Are we able to think it, and with what goals and hopes in mind? Why forgiveness now, and why at all? As an aid to politics? As a means to face the unforgiveable, or to short-circuit the work of history and memory? As a diversion from different, maybe less forgiving, forms of action? Forgiveness emerges within these pages not as an agenda offering closure, but as a strategy and a form of awareness, a legal, sociological, psychological, anthropological, theological and ethical concept that demands engagement (Wagner & Kuoni, 2009). That breathtaking scope spanning numerous academic disciplines indicates the far distance the concept of forgiveness has traveled in the last twenty-five years.