Reflection Of Indigenous Psychology On The Connotation Of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the most essential and important issues in human beings, and is the core word of human great wisdom, and also is the positive choice to deal with all kinds of contradiction and conflict in the 21st century. Beginning from 1980s,as a kind of basic and important social,psychological and moral phenomenon, forgiveness goes beyond the boundaries of discipline, region and culture in the era process of globalization contact and reconciliation to become an universal concept and a worldwide phenomenon. Being a kind of cross-cultural universal virtue of human, positive power advantage, constructive countermeasure and authentic wisdom of life, forgiveness becomes an important topic, which attracts extensive attention of all branches of psychology due to the value of morals, health, life, human nature and spirit it has.The profound interpretation of the connotation of forgiveness is the fundamental question relating to researches of forgiveness psychology. The current western psychological researches on forgiveness are forgiveness of others, which regard sufferers as the subject of forgiveness, build or reveal the connotation of forgiveness through forgiveness of others, and develop measuring tools and interference means depending on it. It is the interpretation of the connotation of forgiveness that derived from the western cultural tradition. The interpretation lacks subjectivity, continuity, correspondence, and stability of China itself, and it is hard to interpret, understand, predict and change Chinese forgiveness mind and behavior comprehensively and effectively.Aim at the current research of the theoretical construction of forgiveness, measuring tools, intervention methods of forgiveness psychology are on the base of forgiveness of others, and ignorance of the forgiveness thought of indigenous traditional culture in the cross-culture research. We can put forward the following questions: Are there any cultural differences in forgiveness? Are there any forgiveness theories in Chinese traditional culture? If there are, what is the special connotation? What are the differences with the Western culture? Does the Chinese and Western culture have anything in common about the forgiveness? Can they integrate effectively? What are the bases of the integration?In response to the above questions, the focus of the research targets on the connotation of forgiveness—the important theoretical question. Based on viewpoint of Chinese indigenous psychology, we reflect the limitation of the research on the connotation of forgiveness of present western scientific psychology profoundly. We will take the resolution of people's various confusion about forgiveness in contemporary linguistic context as the breakthrough point, and take the reflection on the existing shortage of the connotation of forgiveness in the Western cultural perspectives as the premise, and take the exploration about the rich resoursce of forgiveness in Chinese traditional culture as the key content, and take the understanding and fusion the connotation in Chinese and Western culture and developing the connotation of forgiveness which is fit for Chinese cultural tradition as the ultimate goal. And, in this way, I make the research express concentratively and expound profoundly.According to the above logical thoughts, first, to make the true meaning of forgiveness further highlighted, the similarities and differences of forgiveness and related concept are reviewed one by one. For example, forgiveness and tolerance, forgiveness and amnesty, forgiveness and forgetting, forgiveness and reconciliation and so on. Then we abstract and generalize the definition on the connotation of forgiveness in western psychology. On this basis, we reflect the shortage of the connotation of forgiveness research of present western psychology, point out the limitation of forgiveness of others oriented. And then research focus on exploring the forgiveness thought in Chinese traditional culture deeply and point out that there are very rich and very meaningful cultural resources, thought resources, academic resources about forgiveness in Chinese traditional culture. Forgiveness has been deemed as virtues since ancient times of the Chinese nation. Forgiveness is a very important moral norms in Chinese traditional culture. In Chinese traditional field, we have semantics analysis and proverb research on the connotation of forgiveness, exploring forgiveness thought in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and point out that although there is no clear definition on the connotation of forgiveness in Chinese cultural tradition, and there is no system theory on forgiveness in Chinese traditional culture, we can still find some matching concepts with the concept of forgiveness in Western culture. For example,"shu", benevolence, good, generous, harmonious, bear, mercy and so on. In the end, we compare and integrate the connotation of forgiveness in the Chinese and the Western cultural perspectives, and put forward the unique connotation of forgiveness psychology which is fit for Chinese traditional culture.Doctrine of"shu", benevolence, mercy and containment in Chinese traditional culture survey and look on forgiveness from the viewpoint of ethics, self-cultivating and being harmonious to others, cultivate the moral character and nourish the nature and return to human's nature. This is a Chinese forgiveness wisdom, which is different from the Western concept of forgiveness. Forgiveness in western culture was on the base of western"original sin"and it place extra emphasis on the value of the solution in interpersonal harm. Forgiveness of western culture pay close attention to the positive impact on sufferer. Although the route and means which make life regain supreme good are different, there is by no means without the"greatest common divisor"in Chinese and Western culture. Forgiveness can be seen the manifestation of goodness,psychological need of interpersonal concordance,life wisdom and the virtue of cross-culture in both Chinese and Western cultures. These become premises of integration the connotation of forgiveness in the Chanese and the Western. The connotation of forgiveness should include forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness based on the forgiveness thought in Chinese traditional culture,holistic thinking mode of the Chinese,the cultivation theory and social relations in the traditional Chinese culture.This new interpretation on the connotation of forgiveness breakthrough,enrich,improve and beyond the forgiveness of others of western psychological,and it is a try of indigenization research of forgiveness psychology. It can bring out a series changes of research methods, measuring tools and interventions of forgiveness psychology.It will be favorable for promoting indigenization research process of forgiveness psychology of China,and it will be favorable for progress and development of forgiveness psychological research of the world.