Dispositional Forgiveness of Self, Others, and Situations

TLDR

Six studies on dispositional forgiveness are presented. The authors developed the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, a self‑report measure with subscales for forgiveness of self, others, and situations, and demonstrated its good psychometric properties. Forgiveness was positively associated with cognitive flexibility, positive affect, distraction, and psychological well‑being, negatively with rumination, vengeance, and hostility, and uniquely predicted relationship satisfaction and well‑being components, while also reducing negativity in transgression statements.

Abstract

Abstract Six studies regarding forgiveness are presented. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), a self‐report measure of dispositional forgiveness (with subscales to assess forgiveness of self, others, and situations) was developed and demonstrated good psychometric properties. Forgiveness correlated positively with cognitive flexibility, positive affect, and distraction; it correlated negatively with rumination, vengeance, and hostility. Forgiveness predicted four components of psychological well‐being (anger, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with life); forgiveness of situations accounted for unique variance in these components of psychological well‐being. Forgiveness and hostility demonstrated equivalent, inverse associations with relationship duration, and forgiveness accounted for unique variance in relationship satisfaction, even when controlling for trust. Forgiveness level correlated positively with decreased negativity in statements written about transgressions in the present versus the past tense.