Empathy and forgiveness: strengths of character which protect affective bonds

Résumé

While in the past, the focus on successful aging research was on functional and biological aspects, currently other variables are considered as relevant as the former ones in their effect on good aging. Some of those variables are close and social affective bonds. Creating, managing and optimizing relationships have been proven to provide concrete benefits for the elderly and for their environment. In this context, empathy as a psychological process allows us to understand and experience the thoughts and emotions of others, facilitating and fostering the possibility of interpersonal bonding. However, no interpersonal relationship is free of conflict. That is why the ability to forgive, as a human strength, facilitates the process of restoring relations by stopping negative emotions after an offense. In this paper, we present an integrative theoretical framework to include these two psychological processes and their relationships in the study of optimal aging. Not only theoretical, empirical and methodological backgrounds are outlined, but also future lines for research and intervention are proposed.