Before we return to the more philosophical debate, we should pause to consider what we can learn about forgiveness from empirical research. In recent years, work by psychologists on the topic of forgiveness has become a growth industry (if you visit the American Psychological Association's website and type in the word “forgiveness”, you'll find over 150 results straight off). The hope behind some of these projects is that we'll be able to find ways to encourage conflict resolution, especially in countries torn apart by racial or ethnic violence. Substantial backing for such research is provided by, among others, the United Nations; forgiveness is one of the topics it supports, alongside research primarily concerned with relieving the pain and distress suffered by victims. Some studies focus on forgiveness in close personal relationships, especially marriage, while others are directed towards forgiveness by and between groups. Yet others study self-forgiveness, and at least one project looks at the issue from the perspective of the perpetrator rather than the victim, and asks what motivates perpetrators to seek forgiveness.

While the emphasis varies from group to group, for nearly all the psychologists engaged in these projects, theoretical research is undertaken with a therapeutic aim. They want to understand how forgiveness works in order to make it easier for people to forgive, because they think that forgiveness is likely to help healing of both victims and remorseful perpetrators, and to resolve conflicts.