Robert Enright, PhD, was awarded the inaugural Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology by the American Psychological Association's grant-making arm for his dedication to forgiveness therapy.
The American Psychological Association praised forgiveness therapy for its "game-changing impact on the field of psychology."
"For the APA and the [American Psychological Foundation] to position forgiveness alongside the creative achievements of those giants in the field of psychology is truly a profound pronouncement," Dr. Enright said in a June 10 press release after learning of his recognition.
Dr. Enright, a licensed psychologist and professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has devoted 37 years to the scientific study of forgiveness, and is considered a "pioneer" of the field.
Some notable achievements of Dr. Enright are the foundation of the International Forgiveness Institute, which strives for the dissemination of knowledge and community renewal through forgiveness, and the development of the Enright Forgiveness Inventory, which is used globally to assess the degree of forgiveness a patient has toward someone who has wronged them.
Dr. Enright will receive his award at the annual American Psychological Association convention Aug. 5 in Minneapolis. In addition to a gold medal plaque, he will receive a modest honorarium during the APF Friends of the Foundation reception.