Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS)

Abstract

The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) is an 18-item psychological scale designed to measure dispositional forgiveness, which is an individual’s general tendency to forgive. Developed by Thompson, Snyder, and Hoffman in 2005, the HFS is unique in that it conceptualizes forgiveness as a multifaceted construct comprising three distinct domains: forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of situations. This structure allows researchers and practitioners to assess chronic tendencies toward letting go of negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors directed toward specific targets of transgression or misfortune.

Keywords

Heartland Forgiveness Scale, HFS, forgiveness, dispositional forgiveness, self-forgiveness, interpersonal forgiveness, forgiveness of circumstances, psychological assessment, psychometrics.

Authors

Laura Yamhure Thompson, C. R. Snyder (Rick), Lesa Hoffman.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the HFS is to provide a brief, psychometrically sound instrument for assessing an individual’s general, stable tendency toward forgiveness across various life contexts. Unlike earlier measures that often focused solely on interpersonal forgiveness, the HFS was created to capture a broader conceptualization that includes intrapersonal reactions (self-forgiveness) and reactions to impersonal events (situational forgiveness).

The scale is intended for use in research settings examining the relationship between forgiveness and outcomes such as mental health, coping mechanisms, relationship quality, and general well-being. Its structure allows for the measurement of a total forgiveness score as well as scores on the three crucial subscales.

Construct

The HFS measures Dispositional Forgiveness, defined as the stable tendency or personality trait that describes how readily an individual can overcome negative responses (such as resentment, bitterness, or anger) following a perceived transgression or negative event. The construct is explicitly broken down into three correlated, yet distinct, factors:

• Forgiveness of Self: The ability to move past one’s own mistakes or failures without excessive self-criticism or holding grudges against oneself.
• Forgiveness of Others: The ability to let go of resentment and negative judgment toward specific individuals who have committed a wrong.
• Forgiveness of Situations: The ability to accept and move forward from negative life circumstances or events that are perceived as uncontrollable or beyond anyone’s direct fault (e.g., natural disasters, illness, bad luck).

Validity

Initial studies conducted by the authors established strong evidence for the HFS’s validity. Construct validity was supported by demonstrating that the HFS scores correlated positively with measures of mental health and well-being (e.g., hope, self-esteem) and negatively with measures of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, hostility).

Furthermore, the three-factor structure of the HFS provides factorial validity, indicating that the scale successfully measures the three hypothesized domains of forgiveness separately. The authors and subsequent researchers have shown that while the subscales are related, they contribute uniquely to predicting different behavioral and psychological outcomes, supporting the discriminant validity of the measure.

Reliability

The HFS demonstrates high internal consistency, a key measure of reliability. Across various studies, the overall scale and its three subscales typically yield Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from acceptable to excellent (often above .80 for the total scale and generally above .70 for the subscales), indicating homogeneity among the items within each factor. This suggests that the items consistently measure the intended construct.

Test-retest reliability has also been established, confirming that the HFS measures a stable dispositional trait rather than a temporary state. Scores remain relatively consistent over periods of several weeks, supporting its utility as a measure of personality tendency.

Factor Analysis

The development of the HFS was guided by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, which consistently supported a three-factor model. This structure dictates that the 18 items load clearly onto three distinct factors, corresponding precisely to the theoretical dimensions of forgiveness: Self, Others, and Situations.

This three-factor structure is foundational to the scale’s design, distinguishing it from instruments that measure only interpersonal forgiveness. The robust evidence from factor analysis confirms that the HFS is not merely measuring a single, unitary concept but rather a multidimensional construct of dispositional forgiveness.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale

Format: 18 items using a 4-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: Primarily English; translated versions may exist in academic literature (e.g., Persian validation cited in references).

Population Group: General population; suitable for community samples and college students.

Age Group: Adolescents (high school age) through adulthood.

Population Details: The scale was initially validated using samples of university students and adults from the general community.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the extent to which each statement is true of them, using the following scale: 1= Almost always False of me, 2=More often False of me, 3=More often true of me, 4= Almost always true of me. Reverse scoring is applied to negatively worded items to calculate the total score and subscale scores.

Keywords

Psychology, psychopathology, trait measure, emotional regulation, well-being, mental health, interpersonal relations, coping.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence details are typically associated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where the initial research was conducted.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The HFS was first published in 2005. The instrument is generally considered available for non-commercial academic and research use. The scale and scoring instructions are publicly accessible via the dedicated Heartland Forgiveness website. The original PDF containing the scale, scoring, and interpretation can be downloaded here: http://heartlandforgiveness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/HFS-with-Scoring-and-Interpretation.pdf.

Reference’s

The development and key psychometric properties of the HFS are detailed in the following publications:

• Yamhure Thompson, Laura; Snyder, C. R. (Rick); and Hoffman, Lesa. (2005). Heartland Forgiveness Scale. Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology. Paper 452. Available at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychfacpub/452
• Thompson, Laura Yamhure, Snyder, C. R., Hoffman, Lesa, Michael, Scott T., Rasmussen, Heather N., Billings, Laura S., Heinze, Laura, Neufeld, Jason E., Shorey, Hal S., Roberts, Jessica C., and Roberts, Danae E. (2020). Dispositional Forgiveness of Self, Others, and Situations. Journal of Personality, Volume 73(2), pages 313–360.

Additional validation and application studies include:

• Akbari, Mohammad, Golparvar, Mohsen, Ph.D., & Kamkar, Manoochehr, Ph.D. (2008). The Relationship between Interpersonal Trusts, Forgiveness, Self-Efficacy and Religiosity with Procedural and Distributive Beliefs of a Just World. Knowledge & Research in Applied Psychology, 10, 53 To 80.
• Asgari, Parviz, & Roshani, Khadijeh. (2013). Validation of forgiveness scale and a survey on the relationship of forgiveness and students’ mental health. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Research. Vol. 2(2), 109-115.
• Dehghan, Sharareh, Kord Tamini, Bahman, & Arab, Ali. (2014). Compare the Forgiveness, Psychological Well Being and Affective Control between Recovering Drug-Addicted and Healthy Subjects. Journal of Social Issues & Humanities, Volume 2, Issue 4.

Items of the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS)

The HFS consists of 18 items scored on a 4-point Likert scale (1= Almost always False of me, 4= Almost always true of me).

Reverse code items: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17.

Subscale Breakdown:

• Forgiveness of Self Subscale: items 1 to 6.
• Forgiveness of Others Subscale: items 7 to 12.
• Forgiveness of Situations Subscale: items 13 to 18.

1. Although I feel bad at first when I mess up, over time I can give myself some slack.
2. I hold grudges against myself for negative things I’ve done.
3. Learning from bad things that I’ve done helps me get over them.
4. It is really hard for me to accept myself once I’ve messed up.
5. With time I am understanding of myself for mistakes I’ve made.
6. I don’t stop criticizing myself for negative things I’ve felt, thought, said, or done.
7. I continue to punish a person who has done something that I think is wrong.
8. With time I am understanding of others for the mistakes they’ve made.
9. I continue to be hard on others who have hurt me.
10. Although others have hurt me in the past, I have eventually been able to see them as good people.
11. If others mistreat me, I continue to think badly of them.
12. When someone disappoints me, I can eventually move past it.
13. When things go wrong for reasons that can’t be controlled, I get stuck in negative thoughts about it.
14. With time I can be understanding of bad circumstances in my life.
15. If I am disappointed by uncontrollable circumstances in my life, I continue to think negatively about them.
16. I eventually make peace with bad situations in my life.
17. It’s really hard for me to accept negative situations that aren’t anybody’s fault.
18. Eventually I let go of negative thoughts about bad circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control.