Abstract
Forgiveness is an internal process to overcome negative aspects (e.g., anger, bitterness, resentment) towards an offender, being associated to a range of variables (e.g., well-being, quality of loving relationships, resilience). Forgiveness can happen through two different types: (1) decisional, which is a behavioural modification to reduce direct hostility; and (2) emotional, which is a transformation of negative emotions into positive. The current research aimed to gather psychometric evidences for the Decisional Forgiveness Scale (DFS) and the Emotional Forgiveness Scale (EFS), using a Brazilian sample. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1 (n = 181), the bifactorial structures were replicated, also providing satisfactory reliability levels. Through Item Response Theory, results indicated good discrimination, difficulty levels, and considerable information to all the items from both measures. In Study 2 (n = 220), confirmatory factor analyses confirmed their structure, presenting good model fit. The measures were also invariant regarding participants’ gender. Finally, the measures presented significant results when correlated to personality and vengeance. In sum, the instruments demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, evidencing the possibility of their use in the respective context.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge financial support from the CAPES Foundation (Brazil, http://www.capes.gov.br/) for the Ph.D. scholarship for the first and second authors. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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Appendix
Appendix
Decisional Forgiveness Scale-Portuguese
INSTRUÇÕES: Pense sobre as suas intenções atuais em relação a uma pessoa que o(a) magoou. Indique o quanto você concorda ou discorda com cada uma das frases a seguir.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Discordo Totalmente | Discordo | Nem Concordo, Nem Discordo | Concordo | Concordo Totalmente |
01. Pretendo magoa-lo(a) da mesma forma que ele(a) me magoou.
02. Não tentarei ajudá-lo(a) se ele(a) precisar de algo.
03. Se eu encontrá-lo(a), agirei amigavelmente.
04. Tentarei me vingar dele(a).
05. Tentarei agir em relação a ele(a) da mesma forma que agia antes dele(a) me magoar.
06. Se houver uma oportunidade de me vingar dele(a), irei aproveitá-la.
07. Não falarei com ele(a).
08. Não procurarei me vingar dele(a).
Emotional Forgiveness Scale - Portuguese
INSTRUÇÕES: Pense sobre as suas emoções atuais em relação a uma pessoa que o(a) magoou. Indique o quanto você concorda ou discorda com cada uma das frases a seguir.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Discordo Totalmente | Discordo | Nem Concordo, Nem Discordo | Concordo | Concordo Totalmente |
01. Me importo com ele(a).
02. Não me sinto mais chateado(a) quando penso nele(a).
03. Sinto-me amargurado(a) com o que ele(a) fez para mim.
04. Sinto simpatia por ele(a).
05. Estou louco(a) com o que aconteceu.
06. Gosto dele(a).
07. Fiquei ressentido(a) com o que ele(a) fez para mim.
08. Sinto amor em relação a ele(a).
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Cavalcanti, T.M., de Holanda Coelho, G.L., Rezende, A.T. et al. Decisional and Emotional Forgiveness Scales: Psychometric Validity and Correlates with Personality and Vengeance. Applied Research Quality Life 14, 1247–1264 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9653-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9653-9