State Self-Forgiveness Scale (SFFA & SFB)

Abstract

The State Self-forgiveness Scale (SFFA & SFB) is a psychometric instrument designed to measure an individual’s immediate, transient feelings and beliefs regarding self-acceptance following a perceived personal wrongdoing. Developed by Wohl, DeShea, and Wahkinney (2008), this scale captures the state aspect of self-forgiveness, differentiating it from trait measures. It assesses both behavioral/affective responses (SFFA) and cognitive self-evaluations (SFB) related to the transgression, providing insight into the emotional and psychological processes involved in moving past self-blame toward self-acceptance.

Keywords

Self-forgiveness, State measure, Self-compassion, Psychological well-being, Transgression, Psychometric scale, Self-acceptance, Guilt, Shame.

Authors

Michael J. A. Wohl, Lisa DeShea, R. L. Wahkinney.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the SFFA & SFB is to quantify the immediate, situational level of self-forgiveness experienced by an individual subsequent to acknowledging a personal offense or mistake. Unlike scales that measure dispositional self-forgiveness (a stable personality trait), this instrument specifically targets the dynamic, momentary psychological state. It is utilized heavily in experimental and intervention research, such as the randomized controlled trial conducted by Griffin (2014), to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at fostering self-compassion and reducing self-punishment.

By capturing the shift in feelings—from self-rejection and dislike to compassion and acceptance—the scale serves as a sensitive outcome measure, particularly in studies examining the relationship between forgiveness processes and overall psychological well-being.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of State Self-forgiveness, defined as a situational, non-dispositional process involving a positive shift in one’s attitude toward oneself following an acknowledged transgression. This construct is generally conceptualized as having two distinct components, which align with the SFFA and SFB subscales.

The first component (SFFA) focuses on affective and behavioral responses, encompassing feelings of compassion and acceptance versus feelings of rejection and punishment toward the self. The second component (SFB) focuses on cognitive self-evaluation, specifically the belief structure regarding one’s worthiness, acceptability, and moral standing despite the mistake. High scores indicate a successful movement toward self-acceptance and reduced self-criticism, which is fundamental to recovery and maintaining psychological health.

Validity

The initial validation study (Wohl et al., 2008) established strong evidence for the scale’s validity. Construct validity was demonstrated through expected correlations with established measures of psychological health. Specifically, state self-forgiveness scores were found to correlate positively with measures of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and trait self-forgiveness, while showing negative correlations with measures of shame, guilt, and depression.

Furthermore, the scale exhibits strong discriminant validity, confirming that while related to constructs like self-compassion, it specifically captures the process of resolving feelings tied to a specific recent event rather than a general disposition. The subsequent use of the scale in intervention settings further supports its responsiveness to changes induced by treatment, indicating strong criterion validity.

Reliability

The State Self-forgiveness Scale demonstrates high internal consistency, a critical indicator of reliability for short-form scales used in state measurement. The original authors reported high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, typically exceeding 0.80 for the overall scale and its subcomponents (SFFA and SFB), suggesting that the items reliably measure the underlying construct. This high level of reliability ensures that the instrument provides stable and consistent measurements of the transient state of self-forgiveness across different administrations when focused on the same triggering event.

Factor Analysis

Based on the structure provided by the items, the scale is typically subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) or Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to confirm its proposed structure. The analysis generally supports a two-factor model corresponding to the two main sections: the SFFA (Actions/Feelings component) and the SFB (Self-Belief/Cognitive component). The items loading onto the first factor relate to active emotional and punitive responses (“feel compassionate,” “punish myself”), while items loading onto the second factor relate to global self-worth judgments (“acceptable,” “awful,” “worthy of love”). This factor structure reinforces the theoretical conceptualization of self-forgiveness as involving both affective regulation and cognitive restructuring.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric scale; Self-report questionnaire.

Format: 17 items utilizing a 4-point Likert scale response format, ranging from 1 = Not at all to 4 = Completely.

Language Available: English (Primary validation language).

Population Group: Adults and emerging adults.

Age Group: Typically 18 years and older (University student population in initial studies).

Population Details: Originally validated on university student samples, suitable for use in clinical and non-clinical populations engaging in reflection on a specific past transgression.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to reflect on a specific past wrongdoing or mistake and then rate their current feelings and beliefs regarding themselves in relation to that event.

Keywords

Self-forgiveness, State measurement, Affective regulation, Cognitive restructuring, Self-compassion, Psychological assessment, Self-rejection.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially published and validated in 2008 by Wohl, DeShea, and Wahkinney. Specific information regarding commercial fees or formal permission requirements for academic use is not detailed in the source material, though academic instruments are often available for non-commercial research use upon request to the authors.

The instrument was utilized in a 2014 thesis by Brandon J. Griffin, which is publicly available online. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4317&context=etd (The scale items are found on page 103 of this document).

Reference’s

• Wohl, M. J. A., DeShea, L., & Wahkinney, R. L. (2008). Looking within: Measuring state self-forgiveness and its relationship to psychological well-being. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 40, 1-10.
• Griffin, Brandon J., “Efficacy of a Self-forgiveness Workbook: A Randomized Controlled Trial with University Students” (2014). Virginia Commonwealth University, Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3318.

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Items of the State Self-forgiveness Scale (SFFA & SFB)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The response format utilizes a 4-point scale: 1 = Not at all, 2 = A little, 3 = Mostly, 4 = Completely.

As I consider what I did that was wrong‚ I…

1. …feel compassionate toward myself.
2. …feel rejecting of myself.
3. …feel accepting of myself.
4. …feel dislike toward myself.
5. …show myself acceptance.
6. …show myself compassion.
7. …punish myself.
8. …put myself down.

As I consider what I did that was wrong‚ I believe I am…

9. …acceptable.
10. …okay.
11. …awful.
12. …terrible
13. …decent.
14. …rotten.
15. …worthy of love.
16. …a bad person.
17. ….horrible.