Conditional or Unconditional Forgiveness? An Instrument to Measure the Conditionality of Forgiveness

ABSTRACTAmong the beliefs and concepts people hold about the nature of forgiveness, their notions of conditionality and unconditionality have not received sufficient study. The concept of conditional forgiveness posits that before forgiveness can be granted, the offender must take certain steps and meet specific conditions. From an unconditional forgiveness concept, the victim can forgive independently of the behavior of the wrongdoer. Hence, the aim of our study has been to develop a strong psychometric instrument to measure the beliefs people hold about the conditionality of forgiveness. This article presents the development and validation of a tool to measure these beliefs. Study 1 comprised 181 participants, whereas 492 conformed Study 2 and 109 took part in Study 3. Internal consistency and validity were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, along with correlational analysis to test convergent validity, stability, and prediction capability. Results sho...