A computational model and empirical study of the self-undermining proposition in job demands-resources theory
Date
2019
Authors
Walters, Kevin M., author
Fisher, Gwen, advisor
Gibbons, Alyssa, advisor
Clegg, Benjamin, committee member
Conroy, Samantha, committee member
Kraiger, Kurt, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
The current conceptual model in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory contains eight propositions to explain the dual processes through which job demands and resources influence individuals' strain, motivation, and job performance. Although the theory is generally well-supported and widely-used in industrial-organizational (I-O) and occupational health (OHP) psychology literature, more research is needed to validate its two most recent propositions; that motivation and strain can lead to increases in job resources and demands through job crafting and self-undermining behaviors, respectively. The goal of this study was to test the dynamic variable relationships in the self-undermining proposition through two research methods in an academic context. First, I developed and tested a computational model of the self-undermining proposition based in JD-R theory and other psychological theories and research. Second, I collected longitudinal data from undergraduate students at two U.S. universities and analyzed the data through cross-lagged panel analyses and repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance. The results of the two methods were contradictory. Specifically, the specifications and theoretical assumptions of the computational model resulted in simulations of a perpetual loss spiral via a positive feedback loop, whereas statistical analyses of the longitudinal data did not identify or support the self-undermining proposition. Overall, the results did not support the self-undermining proposition and were influenced by several methodological limitations of this study, but these limitations and results exemplified several broader limitations of JD-R theory and suggested that the theory is currently inviable and in need of respecification.