Example Psychological Science Dissertation Topic 1:

Optimizing Goal-Oriented Promotive Coping Strategies: Enhancing Employee Well-Being in Service Industries Facing Customer Mistreatment

Background Context:

Customer mistreatment is a pervasive issue in service industries, with detrimental effects on employee well-being, job attitudes, and performance. Current research highlights the potential of goal-oriented, promotive coping as an effective strategy for mitigating these negative impacts. However, the heterogeneity in outcomes and limited empirical samples underscore the need for further investigation. This research direction aims to explore how goal-oriented, promotive coping can be optimized across varying workplace contexts and employee characteristics.

Suggested Research Questions:

1. How do situational factors, such as organizational climate or leadership styles, influence the effectiveness of goal-oriented promotive coping?
2. What individual characteristics (e.g., personality traits, emotional intelligence) predict an employee’s likelihood to adopt goal-oriented coping strategies?
3. How do different conceptualizations of customer mistreatment (e.g., identity threats, interactional injustice) affect the efficacy of goal-oriented coping strategies?

Hypotheses:

• H1: Positive organizational climates enhance the adoption and effectiveness of goal-oriented promotive coping among employees.

• H2: Employees with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to engage in goal-oriented promotive coping, leading to improved well-being and job performance.

Potential Implications:

• Provide actionable insights for managers to foster organizational cultures that support effective coping strategies.

• Enable tailored interventions for employees based on individual traits and situational dynamics.

Suggested Reading:

• Ma, Y., Liu, P., An, X., Wu, Z., Li, A. and Lu, C. (2025). Customer mistreatment and employees’ coping strategies: A Meta-SEM analysis. Tourism Management, 106, 105023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105023 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].

• Koopmann, J., Wang, M., Liu, S., & Song, Y. (2015). "Workplace mistreatment and employee performance," Journal of Applied Psychology.

• Boukis, A., & Christodoulides, G. (2023). "Conceptualizing customer mistreatment in service settings," Service Industries Journal.

Exploring Boundary Conditions in the Mistreatment-Coping Relationship

Background Context: 

While goal-oriented, promotive coping has shown effectiveness, its application is influenced by various moderating factors, such as situational and individual characteristics. Identifying these boundary conditions is critical for developing targeted strategies that enhance the coping mechanisms of employees. This research direction seeks to investigate the role of moderators in the mistreatment-coping relationship to uncover nuanced insights into employee behaviour.

Suggested Research Questions:

1. What situational characteristics (e.g., organizational support, job autonomy) moderate the relationship between customer mistreatment and coping outcomes?
2. How do individual attributions and appraisal styles affect the adoption of goal-oriented promotive coping?
3. What interventions can organizations implement to mitigate the negative impacts of customer mistreatment on employees?

Hypotheses:

• H1: High levels of organizational support moderate the relationship between customer mistreatment and employee well-being, enhancing the efficacy of goal-oriented coping.

• H2: Employees with external attributions for mistreatment are less likely to engage in effective coping strategies.

Potential Implications:

• Offer managers practical frameworks for improving employee resilience to mistreatment.

• Facilitate the design of workplace interventions that encourage adaptive coping strategies.

Suggested Reading:

• Ma, Y., Liu, P., An, X., Wu, Z., Li, A. and Lu, C. (2025). Customer mistreatment and employees’ coping strategies: A Meta-SEM analysis. Tourism Management, 106, 105023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105023 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].

• Bani-Melhem, S., Zeffane, R., & Albaity, M. (2020). "Coping with workplace stressors," International Journal of Human Resource Management.

• Shi, J., & Huang, X. (2022). "Employee responses to customer mistreatment," Journal of Organizational Behaviour.

Expanding Conceptual Perspectives on Customer Mistreatment and Coping Strategies

Background Context: 

Customer mistreatment is often conceptualized through a singular lens, such as goal failure. Broadening these perspectives to include frameworks like interactional injustice, affective events, or resource depletion can provide a more comprehensive understanding of coping strategies. This research direction encourages exploration of alternative conceptualizations to identify innovative solutions for managing customer mistreatment.

Suggested Research Questions:

1. How do different conceptualizations of customer mistreatment (e.g., affective events, resource depletion) impact the choice of coping strategies?
2. What role do employees’ perceptions of fairness and justice play in shaping their coping behaviours?
3. How can organizations create frameworks to support diverse coping strategies across varied conceptual frameworks?

Hypotheses:

• H1: Viewing customer mistreatment as interactional injustice increases the likelihood of confrontation-oriented coping strategies.

• H2: Conceptualizing mistreatment as resource depletion predicts higher engagement in preventive coping strategies.

Potential Implications:

• Broaden the theoretical understanding of customer mistreatment and its effects on employees.

• Inform the design of comprehensive training programs to enhance employee coping capacities.

Suggested Reading:

• Ma, Y., Liu, P., An, X., Wu, Z., Li, A. and Lu, C. (2025). Customer mistreatment and employees’ coping strategies: A Meta-SEM analysis. Tourism Management, 106, 105023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105023 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].

• Cai, W., Luo, Z., & Shi, Y. (2018). "Justice perceptions and employee well-being," Journal of Business Ethics.

• Ni, L., Li, X., & Huang, G. (2024). "Resource depletion in service industries," Academy of Management Journal.

Summary

The proposed research directions address critical gaps in understanding coping strategies in response to customer mistreatment. By focusing on optimizing goal-oriented promotive coping, identifying boundary conditions, and expanding conceptual frameworks, future studies can contribute to creating resilient service organizations that prioritize employee well-being and performance in the face of persistent challenges.