Translational Family Science and Forgiveness: A Healthy Symbiotic Relationship?

This article explores how translational family science might be instantiated by considering research on forgiveness in close relationships. Relevant historical context is provided to traverse ground in multiple disciplines in an attempt to avoid repetition of past errors. The translational science continuum (T1 to T4) is considered and specific examples of each type of translation are outlined. A set of explicitly stated implications are offered in the course of the analysis. These implications speak to lessons that can be learned for translational family science from the examination of forgiveness in a relationship context as well as mandates for forgiveness research that become apparent when research on this construct is viewed through the lens of translational family science. The potential for a healthy symbiotic relationship between translational family science and research on forgiveness in relationships is explored.