Discourses of forgiveness and resilience in stepchild–stepparent relationships

Authors

Vincent R. Waldron, Arizona State UniversityFollow
Dawn O. Braithwaite, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Bailey M. Oliver, University of Arkansas at Little RockFollow
Dayna N. Kloeber, Arizona State University
Jaclyn S. Marsh, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2018

Citation

Published in Journal of Applied Communication Research 46:5 (2018), pp 561–582.

doi:10.1080/00909882.2018.153044

Comments

Copyright © 2018 National Communication Association. Published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis. Used by permission.

Abstract

Challenges and conflicts experienced by stepfamilies are well documented, but researchers are increasingly focused on communication processes that facilitate resilience in these relationships. In other contexts, communicating forgiveness has been linked to relational healing after transgressions or adversity. In the current study, the researchers sought to understand how stepchildren talk about the role of forgiveness in the development of positive adult stepchild–stepparent relationships. Data were drawn from interviews with adult stepchildren who have a positive relationship with a stepparent. Following an interpretive analysis, the researchers identified five themes representing the ways forgiveness was conceptualized and enacted in these positive stepchild–stepparent relationships: forgiveness as (a) healing family connections, (b) explicit negotiation, (c) maturation and acceptance, (d) a response to vulnerability and compassion, and (e) evidence of relational growth. Theoretical and practical applications for understanding and fostering resilient stepfamilies and the role of forgiveness are discussed.