Dispositional Forgivingness: Development and Construct Validity of the Transgression Narrative Test of Forgivingness (TNTF)

Abstract

Forgivingness is the disposition to forgive interpersonal transgressions over time and across situations. There is currently no acceptable measure of forgivingness for use in testing theoretical propositions. The authors describe a five-item scenario-based scale, the Transgression Narrative Test of Forgivingness (TNTF). In five studies examining 518 university students from three disparate universities, the authors assess the item and full-scale functioning of the TNTF and its concurrent and 8week predictive validity relative to trait anger, rumination, neuroticism, agreeableness, and hostility. Test-retest reliability and stability of item locations were both good. Norms are presented by gender, ethnicity, and religious activity. The TNTF is a brief measure of forgivingness that is not theory dependent and is therefore useful in basic and intervention research from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Empathy and Forgiveness

“…As expected, ANOVA analyses revealed that women had higher levels of empathy than men but that forgiveness did not differ by gender. This finding confirms findings of previous researchers that showed gender differences in empathy (Batson et al, 1996;Gault & Sabini, 2000;Lennon & Eisenberg, 1987;Macaskill et al, 2002;Schieman & Van Gundy, 2000) but not in forgiveness (Berry et al, 2001;Kalbfleisch, 1997;Macaskill et al, 2002;Worthington et al, 2000). The present results supported Hypothesis 4.…”

“…However, empirical studies provide no support for that assertion. Berry, Worthington, Parrott, O'Connor, and Wade (2001) documented no significant gender differences in dispositional forgiveness. Macaskill et al (2002) also did not find any significant gender differences in the participant's forgiveness of oneself or others.…”

Forgiveness in personal relationships: Its malleability and powerful consequences

“…In fact, only a few participants explicitly and exclusively referred to justice as retaliation, getting even, or other retributive-justice-related concepts. After writing down their thoughts about justice, participants completed the Transgression Narrative Test of Forgiveness (TNTF), a scenario-based measure of people's inclinations to forgive, developed and validated by Berry and colleagues (Berry, Worthington, Parrot, O'Connor, & Wade, 2001). In our studies participants read four of the five original scenarios of the TNTF, and were asked to imagine that the situation as described in the scenario happened to them.…”

Evidence for a distinct forgiveness prototype: Convergent and discriminant validity

“…This is an interesting result, because while most theoretical perspectives acknowledge the importance of the interpersonal aspect of forgiveness (e.g., Baumeister et a1., 1998;Enright, 2001;Exline & Baumeister, 2000;Fincham, 2000), it is primarily the intrapsychic dimension that has been the focus of most forgiveness measures (e.g., Berry, Worthington, Parrott, O'Connor, & Wade, 2001;Brown, 2003;McCullough et a1., 1998;Subkoviak et a1., 1995).…”