The Process of Asking for Forgiveness As a Necessary Condition in Order to Build Peace Amidst the Colombian Armed Conflict

This study aimed to understand the meanings attributed to forgive and to ask for forgiveness, the conditions that facilitate and prevent to ask for forgiveness and the consequences obtained from this process in the middle of the armed conflict in Colombia. The research was developed from a qualitative perspective using the method of Grounded Theory, and was done with the participation of 40 men and women between the ages of 20 and 40. Forgiveness was defined as a process of forgetting or understanding of the damage in order to restore the relationship. Asking for forgiveness was described as a process of liberation and repair. The main consequences obtained are personal healing, reconciliation and replacing negative emotions with positive ones.