Virtue, Psychology and Robert Enright's Forgiveness Therapy

Abstract

Theories of virtue are increasingly found in contemporary psychology and proposed as mechanisms for increasing happiness and flourishing. Classical philosophy articulates a definition and defense of virtue which includes systemic descriptions of human flourishing which are incompletely represented by contemporary psychological science. Contemporary psychology introduces notions of flourishing and happiness which are drawn from Classical accounts, but may benefit from a deeper and more intentional integration of philosophical virtue theory in describing human flourishing holistically. The history and merits of incorporating contemporary psychological science with philosophical inquiry will be considered. Enright’s forgiveness therapy (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2015) is reviewed as it represents a strong interdisciplinary effort which ultimately benefits from a deeper and more comprehensive integration of philosophical principles and arguments. This paper argues that a meaningful and intentional integration of philosophy and science yields a holistic, descriptive, and practical account of human virtue that is of benefit to contemporary psychotherapy. This dissertation examines this model of a contemporary utilization of virtue in psychology, and critically assesses the theory in light of philosophical virtue accounts.