School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Forgiveness and Compassion Development Lab
What we do
We study how adversity and traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence shape people’s moral development and mental health across cultures. Our work examines social-emotional attitudes like anger and resentment, moral choices like forgiveness versus revenge, and outcomes tied to well-being like anxiety, depression, hope, self-esteem, and empathy.
Methodologically, we map people’s histories of injustice and trauma, assess forgiving attitudes and moral decision-making, and design post-hurt, trauma-focused interventions—especially forgiveness therapy—for groups who have experienced neglect, violence, or marginalization. This includes individuals who are incarcerated, experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and adults who had severe harm within their family of origin or had “left-behind” childhoods or both.
Our team has led randomized clinical trials in a maximum-security prison and conducted studies with battered women in Pakistan, showing that forgiveness therapy can lower anger, anxiety, and depression while building hope, empathy, and self-esteem. We also expand and validate tools for cross-cultural research like the Enright Forgiveness Inventory Short Form, and investigate forgiveness within family dynamics across Chinese and American contexts.
Lab director
Lifan Yu is an assistant teaching professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SSBS) within Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She earned her PhD in educational psychology (human development) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BS in psychology from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Professor Yu joined SSBS in the spring of 2022.
Centering the moral virtue of forgiveness, her work examines when and how people choose to forgive versus seek revenge, the factors that influence their decisions across different cultures, and the associations with clinical outcomes, mental health, and well-being, such as anger, resentment, aggression, anxiety, depression, hope, self-esteem, and empathy. Grounded in social justice, she develops and evaluates post-hurt, trauma-focused interventions—especially forgiveness therapy—for individuals who have experienced interpersonal injustice, abuse, neglect, marginalization, or underrepresentation.
Learn more about Yu's academic profile and scholarly work.
Lifan Yu is also an amateur powerlifter and enjoys all kinds of physical activities. In her leisure time, she loves spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter—hiking, biking, and gardening.
Contact Lifan Yu via email: [email protected].
Current lab members
Current lab projects
Childhood experiences of being “left behind” due to parental labor migration represent a widespread global phenomenon with potential long-term social, emotional, and psychological consequences. Although prior studies have explored the mental-health outcomes of left-behind children, less is known about how these early separations influence forgiveness toward parents in adulthood—particularly when compared with individuals who were not left behind but were similarly hurt by their parents. Drawing from forgiveness theory (Enright, 2001; Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2015) and filial-piety frameworks (Yang et al., 1989; Yeh, 1997, 2003; Yeh & Bedford, 2003), this study examines cross-cultural (China vs. U.S.) and group differences (left-behind vs. non-left-behind) in forgiveness dynamics, with attention to how filial piety and attribution of parental responsibility shape forgiveness after parent-related hurts. In addition, the study investigates how childhood trauma associated with prolonged parental absence relates to adult psychological adjustment, and whether forgiveness buffers these adverse effects. This project advances cross-cultural understanding of resilience processes and informs culturally attuned intervention targets for adults with left-behind histories.
This study explores how information about psychological costs and the ultimate outcomes will affect children's (aged 4 to 9) moral evaluations in a cross-cultural context. There are three main research questions: (1) at what age children can evaluate someone who incurs higher psychological costs (forewent something she really likes vs. forwent something she does not like) to fulfill social or moral obligations as more virtuous; (2) whether the different outcomes (helping, not helping, making things worse) moderate children’s evaluations on a person’s moral obligations or virtuousness despite the helper’s higher psychological costs; and (3) whether different parenting styles or the values held by parents would affect children’s choices. Besides, in the following study, we are planning to investigate children’s evaluations of the helpers and willingness to forgive the wrongdoers in different scenarios, which can be dependent on their relationships with the helpers/wrongdoers and cultural values.
Divorce represents one of the most stressful and life-altering experiences for adults, particularly for women who often face disproportionate emotional and social burdens in the aftermath of marital dissolution. Although prior research has documented the psychological impact of divorce, limited attention has been given to how moral and spiritual processes—specifically forgiveness and religiosity—contribute to post-divorce adjustment and mental health. The present study aims to examine the interrelationships among forgiveness, religiosity, and psychological well-being among women who have experienced hurt or injustice from a former spouse. Guided by forgiveness theory (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2015) and frameworks of religious coping (Pargament, 1998), this project seeks to understand how forgiveness and religious coping styles interact to ameliorate depression and anxiety, as well as promote healing, recovery, and personal growth after divorce.
This study, conducted in the United States, aims to validate a set of newly developed psychological measures exploring driving behaviors, moral attitudes, and emotional well-being. The project includes eight self-constructed questionnaires—covering topics such as road rage, injustice, motivation to change, sense of purpose, worth and dignity, philosophical outlook, spirituality, and religiosity—along with a demographic survey.
To ensure strong validity, participants will also complete eight established instruments, including the PROMIS Anger and Anxiety Scales, the Enright Forgiveness Inventory–Short Form, the Clinical Anger Scale, the Driving Anger Scale–Short Form, the Dula Dangerous Driving Index, the Toronto Empathy Scale, and a Social Desirability Scale. Data will be collected through SurveyMonkey, with participants recruited via social media, online platforms, and community networks. The study will examine how these 15 measures interrelate to provide a deeper understanding of emotional regulation, moral motivation, and forgiveness in the context of everyday driving. Eligible participants are adults (21 years and older) who currently drive, hold a valid driver’s license, and have access to a computer and the internet.