The effect of forgiveness focused group guidance on aggression and subjective well-being of adolescents

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of the Forgiveness Focused Group Guidance, which is prepared according to Forgiveness Process Model, on forgiveness tendency, aggression tendency, response strategies used in coping with damaging events and subjective well-being of adolescents through quantitative and qualitative methods. The research was designed according to the explanatory sequential pattern of mixed model research designs. The quantitative dimension of the study was based on pre-posttest, quasi-experimental design with experiment, control, and placebo group. In the qualitative dimension of the research, individual interviews were conducted with volunteer students participating in the Forgiveness Focused Group Guidance application. The study group consisted of 65 students who were studying in the ninth grade of Bornova Altay Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School affiliated to the province of Bornova in İzmir. The data of the study were collected with Forgiveness Scale for Adolescents, Aggression Scale, Response Strategies Scale, Subjective Well-Being Scale, personal information questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire. Analysis of quantitative data was performed by means of mean, standard deviation, one factor covariance analysis and Kruskal Wallis H test techniques. In the analysis of qualitative data, content analysis technique was used. During the experimental process, while the students in the experimental group were implemented eight weeks of Forgiveness Focused Group Guidance activities, and productive study activities for the placebo group; the students in the control group were not implemented any additional activities in addition to the standard guidance activities at the school. According to the quantitative findings of the study, after the implementation, forgiveness tendency of the students who were in experimental group statistically significantly increased compared to forgiveness tendency of the students who were in control and placebo groups. However, it has been determined that the implementation of the Forgiveness Focused Group Guidance was not statistically significant effective on adolescents' aggression tendency, response strategies used in coping with damaging events and subjective well-being. According to qualitative findings of the research, it was determined that the students who participated in the experiment group described the forgiveness as a multi-faceted concept as emphasized in the literature and the students' view of forgiveness changed positively after the experimental process. After participating in the Forgiveness Focused Group Guidance, the students indicated that their positive emotions, empathy and anger control skills increased, their aggressive feelings and behaviors decreased. The implementation had positive effects on their relationships with their friends, families and teachers. The students pointed out that they began to empathize more with their friends, parents and teachers. They had fewer fights with their siblings, they had better relationships with their friends. Their problematic behavior in class decreased after the implementation. Besides, they indicated that, after the implementation, they started to use more constructive methods for resolving interpersonal disagreements instead of aggressive behavior. Also, they tried to communicate with people they were in conflict.