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The Neuropsychology of Forgiveness

The Neuropsychology of Forgiveness. Andrew Newberg, M.D. Center for Spirituality and the Mind University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Introduction. Forgiveness is a complex neurocognitive and emotional process Forgiveness has been a fundamental issue in many religious traditions

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The Neuropsychology of Forgiveness

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  1. The Neuropsychology of Forgiveness Andrew Newberg, M.D. Center for Spirituality and the Mind University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

  2. Introduction • Forgiveness is a complex neurocognitive and emotional process • Forgiveness has been a fundamental issue in many religious traditions • Forgiveness has been increasingly recognized as an important aspect of psychotherapy • A complete understanding of forgiveness requires knowledge of its underlying mechanisms

  3. Introduction • Forgiveness includes an understanding of the sense of self, a recognition of harm to the self, and of revenge behavior • This requires a review of the forgiveness process and its phenomenology • Evolutionary origins, neuropsychological mechanism, and social mechanisms.

  4. Brain Structure

  5. Autonomic Nervous System • Arousal (sympathetic) • Quiescent (parasympathetic) • Usually mutually inhibit • Sometimes can mutually excite

  6. The Limbic System • The emotional controller • Amygdala: The watchdog • Hippocampus: The diplomat • Hypothalamus: The master controller

  7. Association Areas • Visual association area • Verbal-conceptual association area • Attention association area • Orientation association area

  8. Association Areas of the Brain

  9. Injury to the Self • A sense of Self • An expanded sense of self • An ability to evaluate the behavior of others as being injurious or beneficial • Memory of the event in order to link that injury to the offending person

  10. Sense of Self • Sensory perceptions • Superior parietal lobe • Awareness of self • Self-reflecting self • Emotional value of the sense of self

  11. SPECT Images at Baseline and During Meditation Baseline Meditation Orientation Area Orientation Area

  12. Comparison of Baseline to Prayer Baseline Scan Prayer Scan Superior Parietal Lobe Superior Parietal Lobe

  13. Expanded Sense of Self • Posterior superior parietal lobe • Limbic system • Sensory awareness of the self vs others • Necessary since must protect self above all other things

  14. Conspecific Congruence • The perceived non-hierarchical relationship between a given individual and the other conspecifics in the group • Conspecific congruence is a type of balance • Hierarchical order is “vertical” • Conspecific congruence is “horizontal” • We are all equal, at least, since we are all human beings

  15. Understanding Conspecific Congruence • Likely requires the left inferior parietal lobe • Can be changed in a positive or negative way • Positive change is a favor or kindness with the consequent obligation to return it in some way in order to balance the incongruence • Gift giving, charity, doing favors, pay it forward • Negative change is an injury or insult with the likely desire for revenge to restore balance • Insulting, lying, stealing, physical harm

  16. Human Conspecific Congruence • Applies to individuals within the group • Also applies to the world resulting in a “self/world congruence” • Once congruence is negatively altered, the process of revenge or forgiveness can occur

  17. Memory and Forgiveness/Revenge • Intuitively necessary • An individual that cannot carry the injury in memory for any significant time cannot get revenge on the perpetrator of the injury • Forgiveness is the foreswearing of resentment which is differentiated from forgetting which just happens

  18. Once an injury occurs, what happens next? Revenge vs Forgiveness

  19. Revenge • Easier to understand than forgiveness • Lex Talionis: An eye for an eye • Exists in virtually all cultures

  20. Why Forgiveness? • Expanded sense of self • Leads to ever increasing revenge response • We feel our pain more than another’s • Forgiveness prevents this escalation • Creates greater group cohesion • Forgiveness can induce social empathy • Third Century Christian dictum was sanguis martyrorum semen christianorum (i.e. the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians) • Martyrdom and forgiveness have long history of gaining social support

  21. How Does the Forgiveness Process Begin? • Sense of self • Injury to the self • Cognitive and affective processing • Reconciled sense of self • Outward forgiveness behavior

  22. Cognitive and Affective Processing • Required to rectify incongruency once injury is realized • Many possible approaches specific to each individual • Spiritual approach – God loves everyone, God would forgive them • Humanistic approach – We are all people • Rationalistic approach – We recognize that all people are imperfect • Empathic approach – We understand why the other person did what they did. • Apologetic approach – Requires apology from perpetrator • Approaches are also specific to conditions, age, gender, socioeconomic factors, and previous history of injury • Reconciled self

  23. Reconciled Self • New understanding of self in relation to world • New understanding of conspecific congruence • New emotional set point that has resolved original injury • Generally associated with positive emotions, although can potentially be negative

  24. Behavioral Response • New understanding of conspecific congruence is associated with positive feelings and decreased anger/resentment • Positive feelings can be translated outwardly in the form of forgiveness • Includes how perpetrator is treated as part of reconciled self

  25. Neurotheology and Religious Experiences • Religion associated with many different characteristics not just mystical ones • Religious experiences can include practices such as forgiveness, worship, prayer, bible studies, group ritual • Religion also associated with feelings and behaviors related to awe, charity, love, altruism • Theological principles of morality, causality, numerology, ontology, epistemology

  26. Future Directions in Forgiveness Research • Forgiveness is a complex process • Difficult to measure in acute or chronic setting • Brain imaging studies during active forgiving • Predisposition to forgiveness • Psychological • Imaging • Genetics • Other physiological measures • Hormones

  27. The End • Center for Spirituality and the Mind • www.spiritualityandthemind.org • Survey of Spiritual Experiences • www.neurotheology.net • Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue • www.mindreligion.com • Andrew Newberg • www.andrewnewberg.com

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