Proactive personality influences career decidedness through goal reengagement and goal commitment

Amid intensifying technological disruption and labor-market volatility, career decision making has become critical for young adults’ sustainable development. Grounded in self-regulation theory and goal-setting theory, this study investigated how proactive personality influences career decidedness through goal reengagement (mediator) and goal commitment (moderator) by conducting a multiwave survey of 1,077 young adults in southwest China. Results revealed that proactive personality positively predicted career decidedness, with goal reengagement mediating this relationship, and goal commitment moderating the relationship between goal reengagement and career decidedness. By reconceptualizing career decidedness as a goal-driven dynamic process, this research advances theoretical frameworks and offers practical strategies.