Forgiveness and conflict resolution in marriage.

Abstract in brief

• The studies explored how different aspects of forgiveness (retaliation, avoidance, and benevolence) affect how married couples handle conflicts, with findings showing that higher benevolence leads to better conflict resolution while retaliation and avoidance tend to worsen it.
• In both early and longer-term marriages, wives’ benevolence consistently predicted better conflict outcomes, and husbands’ retaliation or avoidance was linked to poorer conflict resolution, regardless of overall marital satisfaction.
• The research highlights the importance of forgiveness, especially benevolence, for resolving conflicts in marriage, and suggests that fostering forgiveness could improve relationship health; future studies are encouraged to further explore this.]