Defining motivation to restore (MTR) as the degree to which an actor is aroused to initiate and persist in restorative activities with the goal of achieving relational value, I develop and validate in 6 major studies a scale of MTR as a behavioral set comprising activation (exertion of effort), determination (persistence in the endeavor), relevance (meaning or value of the endeavor), and anxiety (apprehension about potential consequence) to restore a situation, event, or act of a relationship. The 18-item MTR Scale is internally consistent and reflects the theorized components. The relationships of the MTR Scale to other measures demonstrate concurrent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, MTR is responsive to restorative situations as evidenced by data gathered through cross-sectional designs. It offers a brief, internally consistent, and valid self-report measure that will be useful to OB researchers and applied professionals.
