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Journal of Health Psychology
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When God Disappoints

Difficulty Forgiving God and its Role in Negative Emotion

Julie Juola Exline

Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University

Ann Marie Yali

Behavioral Medicine and Oncology Division, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Marci Lobel

Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook

In light of growing empirical interest in the links between forgiveness, religious belief, and well-being, a study was designed to examine the emotional impact of a specific problem with forgiveness: difficulty forgiving God. Difficulty forgiving God was found to predict anxious and depressed mood within a college student sample (N 5 200), and its contribution was independent of difficulties forgiving the self and others. Two psychological factors emerged as central in explaining the link between difficulty forgiving God and negative emotion: an angry disposition and feelings of alienation from God. Also, among those who currently believed in God, forgiving God for a specific, powerful incident predicted lower levels of anxious and depressed mood. These findings suggest that an unforgiving attitude toward God is a distinct type of problem with forgiveness, one that serves as a potent predictor of negative emotion.

Key Words: forgiveness • religion • trauma • coping • negative affect

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 4, No. 3, 365-379 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/135910539900400306
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