Linking Proactive Personality to Life Satisfaction in the Chinese Context: The Mediation of Interpersonal Trust and Moderation of Positive Reciprocity Beliefs

This paper examines the moderating effect of positive reciprocity beliefs and the mediating effect of interpersonal trust on the relationship between proactive personality and individual life satisfaction in China. In study one, 371 employees completed a survey, the results of which showed that proactive personality was positively related to employee life satisfaction; however, positive reciprocity beliefs did not moderate this association. In study two, 244 Chinese adolescents completed a two-wave survey with a 4-month interval. These results also confirmed that proactive personality was positively related to individual life satisfaction, and interpersonal trust mediated the association. Positive reciprocity beliefs moderated the effect of proactive personality on interpersonal trust and, furthermore, moderated the mediating effect of interpersonal trust on the relationship between proactive personality and life satisfaction. The findings, theoretical contributions, and practical implications of the present paper are discussed further.