Agreeableness and neuroticism as predictors of forgiveness trajectories after interpersonal harm: a five-wave longitudinal study of Chinese college students

Forgiveness is a dynamic psychological process that unfolds over time following interpersonal transgressions, yet longitudinal evidence concerning how personality shapes forgiveness trajectories in collectivist cultural contexts remains limited. This study investigated the temporal development of forgiveness-related motivations following naturally occurring interpersonal offenses among Chinese university students. It examined whether agreeableness and neuroticism predicted individual differences in these trajectories. A total of 272 undergraduates (82 male, 185 female; aged 17–27 years, M = 20.08, SD = 1.39) who had experienced a significant interpersonal offense within the preceding week participated in weekly assessments across five consecutive time points ( n = 272, 267, 263, 254, and 247, respectively). Growth curve analyses examined the trajectories of the three Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations (TRIM) dimensions avoidance, revenge, and Benevolence while controlling for perceived transgression severity and victim–transgressor closeness. Results indicated that avoidance and revenge motivations declined linearly over the five weeks, whereas benevolence motivation did not exhibit a significant increase. Agreeableness predicted lower initial revenge and a steeper subsequent decline in revenge motivation, whereas neuroticism predicted higher initial revenge but a more pronounced decline over time. Agreeableness also predicted a steeper decline in avoidance motivation, while neither personality trait significantly predicted the trajectory of Benevolence. These findings underscore the differentiated roles of personality in the temporal dynamics of forgiveness-related motivations: agreeableness is associated with lower initial levels of revenge and avoidance and with more rapid reductions in both, whereas neuroticism is associated with elevated initial levels of revenge alongside a faster subsequent decline. By distinguishing baseline motivational tendencies from their subsequent trajectories, this study advances understanding of the personality correlates of forgiveness following interpersonal transgressions. It offers longitudinal evidence from a collectivist cultural context to inform interventions promoting interpersonal reconciliation and psychological adjustment among university students.