McCullough (2008) discusses how survival is included in the forgivness process since we are more likely to give forgiveness to friends, neighbors, and associates because it will maintain cooperative alliances and allow us to thrive in large groups, which stems from our ancestors. In your post, you mention how a person forgiving their abuser may cause the person to be less likely to report the incident or reach out for help. You also discussed how this can be considered a coping mechanism. Unfortunately, this type of forgiveness is typically seen in situations where domestic violence and sexual abuse are occurring because as McCullough (2008) mentioned we are more likely to forgive friends, neighbors, and associates, which are more likley to be the abuser in these scenarios. What are your thoughts on the aspect of forgiving the ones we rely on as survival in terms of abuse? Do you think there is a connection between forgiveness and survival when it comes to abuse?
