The relationship between meaning in life, forgiveness, and gratitude among Polish adults: the mediating role of time perspective

Two cross-sectional studies were performed to test two competing models in which time perspective orientation mediated the relationship between meaning in life (MIL) and positive resources, such as forgiveness and gratitude, in Polish adults. The results of the first study (N = 170) show that past negative time mediates the relationship between MIL and forgiveness. The second study (N = 218) found MIL to have a significant effect, direct and indirect, on gratitude via a past positive and present fatalistic time perspective. The alternative models were tested, MIL was the outcome variable, and forgiveness and gratitude were independent variables. Our findings show the mediating role of past negative between forgiveness and the presence of meaning, and the role of both positive and negative temporal orientations in the relationship between MIL and gratitude. The multidimensional approach to forgiveness and gratitude and the mediator role of positive and negative time perspectives in MIL can be widely used in psychoeducation and psychotherapy.