Jack W. Berry and Everett L. Worthington‚ Jr.

Directions: Indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with each statement below by using the following scale:

1=strongly disagree

2=mildly disagree

3=agree and disagree equally 4=mildly agree

5=strongly agree

——— 1. People close to me probably think I hold a grudge too
long.

——— 2. I can forgive a friend for almost anything.

——— 3. If someone treats me badly‚ I treat him or her the
same.

——— 4. I try to forgive others even when they don’t feel guilty
for what they did.

——— 5. I can usually forgive and forget an insult.

——— 6. I feel bitter about many of my relationships.

——— 7. Even after I forgive someone‚ things often come back
to me that I resent.

——— 8. There are some things for which I could never forgive
even a loved one.

——— 9. I have always forgiven those who have hurt me.

——— 10. I am a forgiving person.

Scoring

To score the TFS such that higher scores reflect higher trait forgivingness‚ first reverse score items 1‚ 3‚ 6‚ 7‚ and 8. After items are reverse scored‚ add the 10 items to get the total score.

Forgivingness‚ Vengeful Rumination‚ and

Affective Traits

Jack W. Berry and Everett L. Worthington‚ Jr.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Lynn E. O’Connor

The Wright Institute

Les Parrott III

Seattle Pacific University

Nathaniel G. Wade

Journal of Personality 73:1‚ February 2005

r Blackwell Publishing 2004