Heartland Forgiveness Scale

What it measures

Measures the general tendency to forgive — oneself for past wrongs, other people who have transgressed, and uncontrollable situations beyond anyone's blame. Distinguishes three targets of forgiveness. Grounded in Snyder's Hope Theory extension to forgiveness research. A dispositional rather than transgression-specific measure.

Response format

Likert (1–7, almost always false to almost always true)

Representative items

• Although I feel bad about things I have done wrong, I am able to move on. (Forgiveness of Self)
• I hold grudges against myself for negative things I've done. (R, Self)
• When others hurt me, I am able to move on. (Forgiveness of Others)
• I have a hard time forgiving others for the things they've done to hurt me. (R, Others)
• When things go wrong for reasons beyond my control, I get stuck. (R, Situations)

Usage notes & scoring

(R)=reverse-scored (6 items per subscale are reverse-keyed). Freely available from Laura Thompson. Three subscale scores analysed separately and as a total. Forgiveness of self and others are the most commonly used subscales in clinical and positive psychology research. Associated with lower rumination, anger, and depression.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Thompson, L.Y., Snyder, C.R., Hoffman, L., Michael, S.T., Rasmussen, H.N., Billings, L.S., et al. (2005). Dispositional forgiveness of self, others, and situations. Journal of Personality, 73(2), 313–359.

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