Political psychologist transforms conflict with forgiveness training

Pain and trauma can afflict not only individuals and families but also entire countries. Dr. Eileen Borris is a political psychologist who has worked to generate healing in war-torn nations by training groups of people in forgiveness and reconciliation.

Dr. Borris challenges the conventional use of the term “conflict,” preferring to characterize it as “political forgiveness.” In her role as a political psychologist specializing in conflict resolution, she delves into psychological dynamics to develop strategies for resolving political conflicts.

Dr. Borris has written a book about finding forgiveness and how we can do that in our own lives. The foreword of her book was written by the Dalai Lama. Dr. Borris has traveled to Russia, Liberia, and Rwanda to teach her methods. She went to Ethiopia in November to give a keynote address on Political Forgiveness and the Healing of Nations. She was there working as part of an interdisciplinary team with the International Development Initiative at ASU.