Forgiveness (or mercy) is one of the 24 character strengths described by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, under the virtue of temperance. Psychologist Michael McCullough, one of the leading researchers on the topic, describes it as a shift in motivation toward the person who hurt you: less desire to avoid or get back at them, and more openness to goodwill.
- Low: it's hard for you to let go of resentment, even after time has passed.
- Moderate: you manage it sometimes, depending on the situation.
- High: you tend to move past being hurt without too much difficulty.
15 statements, about 3-4 minutes. Think about your usual pattern when someone hurts you, not a very recent or very serious offense.
All possible results
Low Forgiveness
It's hard for you to let go of resentment and move past being hurt, even after a reasonable amount of time has gone by.
See the detail
“Forgiving, according to Michael McCullough, isn't forgetting or excusing what happened: it's a shift in motivation toward the person who hurt you, with less desire to avoid or get back at them.”
What this score means
Your answers suggest you tend to hold onto the emotional intensity of being hurt for quite a while, and it's hard for you to let go of resentment even when the other person owns their mistake and apologizes.
How it shows up day to day
- You replay what someone did to you, even long after it happened.
- It's hard for you to keep a good relationship with someone after an offense, even if they've apologized.
- You generally need more than an apology to start moving past it.
An important clarification
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by forgiveness as a character strength within Peterson and Seligman's classification (2004) and Michael McCullough's research (2000) on forgiveness: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from a qualified professional.
Moderate Forgiveness
You manage to forgive in some situations, but it depends quite a bit on how serious the hurt was and your relationship with the person.
See the detail
“Forgiveness isn't an all-or-nothing trait: most people forgive certain offenses or certain people more easily, and others with more difficulty.”
What this score means
Your answers show a middle-ground pattern: you tend to move past minor offenses fairly easily, but it's harder when the hurt was significant or when the person hasn't clearly owned their part.
How it shows up day to day
- You let most small conflicts go without dwelling on them much.
- It's somewhat harder for you to let go of resentment when the hurt was serious or repeated.
- You tend to give second chances, though not always with the same ease.
An important clarification
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by forgiveness as a character strength within Peterson and Seligman's classification (2004) and Michael McCullough's research (2000) on forgiveness: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from a qualified professional.
High Forgiveness
You tend to move past being hurt without too much difficulty, even when it was significant.
See the detail
“Forgiving easily doesn't mean downplaying the hurt: it means that hurt stops having the power to dictate how you feel or act long afterward.”
What this score means
Your answers show a strong capacity for letting go of resentment and moving forward, even in the face of offenses that genuinely hurt you.
You tend to understand the context behind what the other person did, and you don't need them to "pay" for it in order to move past it.
How it shows up day to day
- Once a reasonable amount of time passes, you stop feeling the same emotional intensity about what happened.
- You can keep a good relationship with someone after an offense, if they own their mistake.
- You rarely bring up something someone did in the past as ammunition in a later argument.
An important clarification
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by forgiveness as a character strength within Peterson and Seligman's classification (2004) and Michael McCullough's research (2000) on forgiveness: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from a qualified professional. Forgiving easily also doesn't mean you should tolerate harm that keeps repeating: those are separate issues.
Indicative result. It describes tendencies based on what you answered today, not a fixed trait or a closed label. It is not a diagnosis.
How this test was built
This test measures your habitual ease of forgiving as a character strength: how you tend to react, over time, to harm done to you by other people.
This result is not a clinical diagnosis nor a moral judgment about your character.
The VIA model that forgiveness is part of has a validated questionnaire (VIA-IS) and the empirical research by McCullough and colleagues on the interpersonal motivations behind forgiveness.
See the full methodology
What it measures
This test measures your habitual ease of forgiving as a character strength: how you tend to react, over time, to harm done to you by other people.
What model it uses
Forgiveness (or mercy) is one of the 24 strengths in the VIA (Values in Action) model by Peterson and Seligman, under the virtue of temperance. Michael McCullough, one of the leading researchers on the topic, describes it as a shift in motivations toward the person who caused the harm: less desire to avoid them or get back at them.
Where that model comes from
Forgiveness as a character strength is framed within the VIA model, published by Peterson and Seligman in 2004 as part of the positive psychology movement. In parallel, Michael McCullough and his team developed their own framework on the interpersonal motivations involved in forgiving, with studies focused on close relationships.
How the result is calculated
Each of the 15 statements distributes points across the three possible levels (low, moderate, high) based on your degree of agreement, on a progressive scale of 0 to 3 per option. The final result is the level with the highest accumulated score.
What your result means
The result indicates your habitual pattern when facing harm received: how long you tend to hold onto resentment and how hard it is for you to regain goodwill toward the person who hurt you.
What it does NOT mean
This result is not a clinical diagnosis nor a moral judgment about your character. It doesn't imply that you should forgive or reconcile with anyone in particular, and it doesn't replace the assessment of a qualified psychology professional.
Limitations
The VIA model that forgiveness is part of has a validated questionnaire (VIA-IS) and the empirical research by McCullough and colleagues on the interpersonal motivations behind forgiveness. Even so, this test is a brief, popular-audience adaptation, not the official VIA-IS managed by the VIA Institute on Character, and it is subject to the usual biases of self-report.
Academic references
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press / American Psychological Association.
- McCullough, M. E., Rachal, K. C., Sandage, S. J., Worthington, E. L., Brown, S. W., & Hight, T. L. (1998). Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(6), 1586-1603.
Frequently asked questions
Does forgiving mean what happened was okay?
No. According to McCullough, forgiving is a shift in your own motivations toward the person who hurt you, not a statement that the hurt was justified, and not an obligation to stay in contact with that person.
Are forgiveness and reconciliation the same thing?
Not necessarily. You can forgive (stop feeling the same hostility) without reconciling (resuming the relationship), especially if the hurt was serious or keeps repeating.
Is it a bad thing to score low on forgiveness?
It isn't a moral judgment. Different people and cultures value forgiveness differently, and in some contexts (repeated harm, no acknowledgment) holding a boundary can be healthier than forgiving quickly.
Is this test reliable?
It's an orientation-only, informational approximation, not a validated clinical instrument like Peterson and Seligman's VIA-IS. For a deeper look, that academic questionnaire or support from a professional are the recommended path.
How long does the test take?
Between 3 and 4 minutes: 15 statements with five response options each.
See all 6 questions
Is it free?
Yes, it's completely free: no sign-up or payment needed to take the test and see your result.
