Interesting article. The science of forgiveness is fascinating, as well as complex. A very simple way of looking at forgiveness is a quote attributed to Saint Augustine, which is, “Not forgiving is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die.” The point here, of course, is that forgiveness is really about letting ourselves off the hook rather than being about the other person. So, whereas some of the research may suggest that it is important to understand the other person as part of forgiveness, I’m not so sure. In my experience, I have found that it’s actually the opposite. I may never really understand the motivation of my offender, and they may be oblivious to the roots of their behavior. All I can control is my reaction, and choosing not to swallow the poison makes the most sense for me.