Relationship of forgiveness and gratitude with grit among college students

Pages: 1169-1172
Lijo K.J., Lincy E. K., Nehla Abdul Jaleel, Megha T. G., and Veena V. R. (Rajagiri Centre for Behavioural Science and Research, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Ernakulam)

Gratitude, forgiveness and positive emotions were the forgotten factors for happiness and well-being of humanity because the human beings searched happiness and wellness in what they lacked or in their deficits like resources, money and better life circumstances; and Psychology- the science of wellness was in busy with dealing illness. The paradigm ‘Positive Psychology’ shifted the focus of psychology into the attributes such as gratitude, forgiveness and positive emotions as essential personal strengths for positive life adaptation, wellness and optimal functioning. The focus of present investigation is a wellness context which examines the relationship of gratitude and forgiveness with grit among college students. Grit is a positive strength of individual to overcome the challenges in the pursuit of long term goals (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007) related to education, job, success in business, and socio-economic- political hierarchy. The study was conducted among 121 college students (male = 61 & female = 60) who were selected through convenient sampling method. The variables, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Grit, were measured by using Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6; McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002); the Forgiveness scale (Rye et al., 2001); and The Short Grit Scale (Duckworth et al., 2007) respectively. The analysis using Correlation Coefficient and Regression Analysis found that Forgiveness is stronger predictor of Grit among college students than Gratitude. Another important observation is that the nature of strengths and the development stage of college students play an important role in the relationship of Gratitude and Forgiveness with Grit. The study finding has implications such as practice of gratitude and forgiveness in educational setting with the support of teachers and parents towards building psychological strengths; and in educational and career pursuits of adolescents and emerging adults.