This research is an exploratory study that addresses the relationship between altruism, empathy and forgiveness. We hypothesize that respondents who score high on measures of altruism, spirituality/ religiosity, empathy, social responsibility, moral identity and selfesteem are more likely to be forgiving and helpful in nature. A second hypothesis is that respondents who score high on those same measures and who have been hurt or offended in some serious way will be more likely to forgive those who have harmed them. We have reasoned that respondents who receive high scores and who have been hurt or offended would be more altruistic and empathetic towards the harmdoers; this was confirmed by our data.

To test these assumptions, we gathered responses from 435 people, including moral exemplars, members of clergy, college students and the general population. Some of the data was obtained by interviewing a sample of respondents, while other respondents completed a selfadministered questionnaire. All of the respondents completed a forgiveness scale. We began this research by interviewing a sample of moral exemplars to explore their motivations for showing compassion and acts of kindness.