Enhancing Self-Esteem and Social Competence in Late Adolescents with Insecure Attachment: A Study on Forgiveness Education

The present study attempted to improve self-esteem and social competence through a self-administered forgiveness program based on the Enright Forgiveness Process Model. The participants were individuals with insecure attachment, who had been hurt and unfairly treated by their mothers. The forgiveness education program continued for eight weeks. Self-esteem and social competence are known as psychological features related to insecure attachment. To compare the gains between the forgiveness group and the control group, a paired samples t-test was conducted. The results showed that the forgiveness groups gain scores for secure attachment, forgiveness, self-esteem, and social competence were significantly greater than the control group s. The enhanced scores on all variables but social competence lasted until the follow-up test, which was conducted eight weeks after the posttest.