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Social Comparison (social + comparison)
Terms modified by Social Comparison Selected AbstractsCultures of Childhood and Psychosocial Characteristics: Self-Esteem and Social Comparison in Two Distinct CommunitiesETHOS, Issue 1 2007Andrew M. Guest This mixed-methods study investigated self-esteem and social comparison during middle childhood in two distinct communities: a Chicago public-housing development and a group of refugee camps near Luanda, capital of the Republic of Angola. Building on separate bodies of existing research about childhood in marginalized communities, self-esteem, and social comparison, I present an interpretive account of how conceptions of childhood associate with psychosocial characteristics in these two communities. In the Chicago community, an intense emphasis on accelerating childhood toward adult characteristics corresponded with accentuating high self-esteem and extremely competitive social comparison. In contrast, the Angolan community conceptualized childhood as distinct from adulthood in ways that prioritized role achievement above self-esteem and encouraged integrative social comparison. The comparison of the cultures of childhood in these two communities, which shared relative poverty and were regularly targeted by external agencies for interventions, has implications for understanding child development and psychological adaptation in marginalized communities. [source] Social Comparison-Based Thoughts in Groups: Their Associations With Interpersonal Trust and Learning OutcomesJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Eric Molleman This study relates thoughts derived from 4 types of social comparison to trust and individual learning. Our study (N = 362 students) showed that upward identification (i.e., believing one is just as good as a better performing teammate) was positively related to trust and individual learning. Upward contrast (i.e., believing one is worse than a better performing group member) was negatively related to learning, as were downward-identifying thoughts (i.e., believing one will perform as badly as a poorly performing teammate). Downward contrast (i.e., thinking one can do much better than the poor performer) was negatively related to trust. We concluded that social comparison-based thoughts are important to consider when designing teamwork because of their constructive and destructive consequences. [source] Neuroticism and Social Comparison Orientation as Moderators of Affective Responses to Social Comparison at WorkJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2001Bram P. Buunk In a study among 72 nurses, the affective consequences of social comparison were examined and related to neuroticism (N) and to social comparison orientation (SCO). Participants were confronted with a bogus interview with an upward versus a downward comparison target. Positive affect and identification were higher, and negative affect was lower, in the upward than in the downward comparison condition. Independent of their SCO, the higher individuals were in N, the less they identified with the upward comparison target, the more they identified with the downward comparison target, and the less positive affect they showed following confrontation with the upward comparison target. In contrast, independent of their level of N, the higher individuals were in SCO, the more negative affect they showed following confrontation with the downward comparison target. The effects on negative affect stayed the same when controlling for positive affect, and the effects on positive affect stayed the same when controlling for negative affect. These effects were also obtained when perceived direction was used as a predictor instead of the experimentally manipulated direction. It is concluded that, although N and SCO are correlated, these variables seem to have independent and distinct effects upon the responses to social comparison information. [source] Social comparison as a coping strategy among caregivers of eating disorder patientsJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 9 2010I. JÁUREGUI LOBERA md phd Accessible summary ,,The paper describes social comparisons among caregivers of eating disorder patients as a coping strategy. ,,Different social comparison strategies were assessed in a sample of 96 caregivers as well as their self-esteem, characteristics of personality and perceived quality of life. ,,The use of unfavourable strategies was correlated to neuroticism and low self-esteem. ,,Women adopted worse strategies and the fact that having obtained different subgroups regarding the use of those strategies could have prognostic repercussions. Abstract The aim of the study was to determine any gender differences in the social comparisons made by caregivers of eating disorder patients and to analyse the relationship between social comparison and personality, age of caregivers, self-esteem, duration of illness, duration of treatment and perceived health and quality of life. We also explored the possibility of classifying caregivers according to these variables. Comparison strategies were analysed in a sample of 96 caregivers of eating disorder patients. The social comparison during illness scale, visual analogue scales of health and quality of life, self-esteem scale of Rosenberg and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were used. In order to explore possible groupings a cluster analysis was performed. A significant correlation between the use of more unfavourable strategies, neuroticism and low self-esteem was found. Women adopted worse strategies and the cluster analysis revealed two sub-groups with respect to comparisons, personality, self-esteem, self-perceived health status and quality of life. The finding of subgroups associated with worse comparison strategies, higher neuroticism, lower self-esteem and a poorer self-perception of health and quality of life could have repercussions as regards the prognosis of eating disorders and, at all events, should be taken into account during therapeutic work with families. [source] Cultures of Childhood and Psychosocial Characteristics: Self-Esteem and Social Comparison in Two Distinct CommunitiesETHOS, Issue 1 2007Andrew M. Guest This mixed-methods study investigated self-esteem and social comparison during middle childhood in two distinct communities: a Chicago public-housing development and a group of refugee camps near Luanda, capital of the Republic of Angola. Building on separate bodies of existing research about childhood in marginalized communities, self-esteem, and social comparison, I present an interpretive account of how conceptions of childhood associate with psychosocial characteristics in these two communities. In the Chicago community, an intense emphasis on accelerating childhood toward adult characteristics corresponded with accentuating high self-esteem and extremely competitive social comparison. In contrast, the Angolan community conceptualized childhood as distinct from adulthood in ways that prioritized role achievement above self-esteem and encouraged integrative social comparison. The comparison of the cultures of childhood in these two communities, which shared relative poverty and were regularly targeted by external agencies for interventions, has implications for understanding child development and psychological adaptation in marginalized communities. [source] Neuroticism and responses to social comparison among cancer patientsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2009Abraham P. Buunk Abstract The present study examined how the effects of three audiotapes containing different types of social comparison information on the mood of cancer patients depended on the level of neuroticism. On the procedural tape, a man and woman discussed the process of radiation therapy, on the emotion tape, they focussed on emotional reactions to their illness and treatment, while on the coping tape they focussed on the way they had been coping. A validation study among 115 students showed that the tapes were perceived as they were intended. The main study was conducted among 226 patients who were about to undergo radiation therapy. Compared to patients in the control group, as patients were higher in neuroticism, they reported less negative mood after listening to the procedural and the coping tape. Furthermore, as patients were higher in neuroticism, they reported less negative mood after listening to the coping tape than to the emotion tape. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] When nothing compares to me: how defensive motivations and similarity shape social comparison effectsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Diederik A. Stapel While similarity typically breeds social comparison, all information gained from social comparisons is not equally influential. Three studies illustrate the situations in which individuals defensively interpret social comparison information such that they incorporate information that reflects positively on the self and disregard negative information. Study 1 extends previous research to show that self-threat broadens the conditions under which defensive interpretations occur to include those in which similarity is ambiguous. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that defensive interpretations are less likely to occur when individuals are affirmed or when the comparison information is unimportant. These findings suggest that the impact of social comparisons on self-views is determined by both similarity of comparison targets and the motives of the perceiver. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluative contrast in social comparison: the role of distinct and shared features of the self and comparison othersEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Philip Broemer Self-other comparisons frequently evoke contrastive reactions, especially when the comparison dimension is relevant and when people strive to maintain or preserve a positive self-evaluation. In three studies, normal-weight women were asked to gauge satisfaction with their body weight. In Study 1, self-evaluation was affected by accessible distinctive information either referring to the self or to comparison others. Studies 2 and 3 tested whether the evaluative contrast observed in Study 1 is reduced when shared features receive greater weight. Consistent with the proposition that perceived similarity between self and comparison others renders assimilative reactions more likely, evaluative contrast was markedly reduced when similarities were stressed prior to the comparison process, either by suggesting that one shares certain characteristics with others unrelated to the comparison dimension or by increasing the identification with the comparison other through an intergroup contrast.. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] 'Everything is relative': Comparison processes in social judgment The 2002 Jaspars LectureEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2003Thomas Mussweiler Any judgment involves a comparison of the evaluated target to a pertinent norm or standard, so that comparison processes lie at the core of human judgment. Despite this prominent role, however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that underlie comparisons and produce their variable consequences. To understand these consequences, one has to examine what target knowledge is sought and activated during the comparison process. Two alternative comparison mechanisms are distinguished. Similarity testing involves a selective search for evidence indicating that the target is similar to the standard and leads to assimilation. Dissimilarity testing involves a selective search for evidence indicating that the target is dissimilar from the standard and leads to contrast. Distinguishing between these alternative mechanisms provides an integrative perspective on comparison consequences in the realm of social comparison and beyond. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Challenge and threat responses during downward and upward social comparisonsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Wendy Berry Mendes We examined cardiovascular responses indicating challenge and threat during social comparisons. Experiment 1 manipulated comparison direction (i.e. upward/downward) within a cooperative social interaction, during which we measured cardiovascular responses, evaluations of demands and resources, and self-reports. Participants interacting with upward comparison partners evaluated the task as more ,threatening' (demands relative to resources) than participants cooperating with downward comparison partners. Moreover, participants cooperating with upward comparison partners exhibited cardiovascular reactivity consistent with threat (i.e. increased ventricle contractility, no changes in cardiac output, and vasoconstriction). In contrast, participants interacting with downward comparison partners exhibited challenge responses (i.e. increased contractility, increased cardiac output, and vasodilation). This basic finding was extended in Experiment 2 with the examination of a classic moderator of social comparison, attitudinal similarity of the comparison partner. Participants paired with attitudinally dissimilar partners exhibited exacerbated reactions relative to participants paired with attitudinally similar partners. That is, relative to similar partners, dissimilar partners engendered greater threat responses during upward comparisons and a tendency toward greater challenge responses during downward comparisons. These results are discussed within an assimilative/contrast model of social comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ,Seek and ye shall find': antecedents of assimilation and contrast in social comparisonEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Thomas Mussweiler Based on a Selective Accessibility (SA) model of comparison consequences, it is suggested that the self-evaluative effects of social comparisons depend on the nature of the hypothesis that is tested as a starting-point of the comparison process. If judges test the hypothesis that they are similar to the standard, then standard-consistent self-knowledge is rendered accessible so that self-evaluations are assimilated towards the standard. If judges test the hypothesis that they are dissimilar from the standard, however, standard-inconsistent self-knowledge is made accessible so that self-evaluations are contrasted away from the standard. These predictions are tested by inducing participants to test for similarity versus dissimilarity to the standard via a procedural priming manipulation. Consistent with the SA model, assimilation occurs if participants are procedurally primed to focus on similarities to the standard, whereas contrast results if they are primed to focus on dissimilarities. These findings suggest that similarity versus dissimilarity testing is a crucial determinant of assimilation versus contrast. It is proposed that distinguishing between these two alternative hypotheses may provide an integrative framework for an understanding of the self-evaluative consequences of social comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Responses to hedonically conflicting social comparisons: comparing happy and unhappy peopleEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Sonja Lyubomirsky Two laboratory studies explored how self-rated unhappy and happy students balance hedonically conflicting social comparison information, and tested whether unhappy students would be relatively more sensitive to hedonically consistent unfavorable information. In both studies, students working in teams of four competed against one other team on a novel verbal task. First, unhappy participants showed relatively greater sensitivity to undiluted unfavorable feedback,about group standing (e.g. your team ,lost'; Study 1) and about group and individual standing (e.g. your team lost and you were placed last; Study 2). Second, unhappy students were more reactive than happy students to individual social comparison information in the context of relative group feedback. In Study 1, the moods and self-assessments of unhappy individuals (but not happy ones) after news of team defeat appeared to be buffered by the additional news of personal triumph. In Study 2, unhappy students showed relatively larger decreases in mood and ability assessments after unfavorable than after favorable individual feedback (i.e. ranking last versus first), regardless of whether they additionally learned that their teams had won or lost. The role of students' attributions and perceptions of their personal contribution was also explored. Implications of these findings for the links among social comparison, cognitive processes, and hedonic consequences are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The affective consequences of social comparison as related to professional burnout and social comparison orientationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Bram P. Buunk In a study among sociotherapists, the affective consequences of social comparison were examined and related to professional burnout and to individual differences in social comparison orientation. Participants were confronted with a bogus interview with an upward versus a downward comparison target. Upward comparison generated more positive and less negative affect than did downward comparison. Increasing levels of burnout were accompanied by less positive affect in response to upward comparison. Moreover, the higher the level of burnout, the more negative affect a description of a downward comparison target evoked, but only among individuals high in social comparison orientation. Finally, the higher the level of burnout, the higher the identification with the downward target, and the lower the identification with the upward target. However, this last effect did occur only among those low in social comparison orientation. Those high in social comparison orientation kept identifying with the upward target, even when they were high in burnout. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Social Comparison-Based Thoughts in Groups: Their Associations With Interpersonal Trust and Learning OutcomesJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Eric Molleman This study relates thoughts derived from 4 types of social comparison to trust and individual learning. Our study (N = 362 students) showed that upward identification (i.e., believing one is just as good as a better performing teammate) was positively related to trust and individual learning. Upward contrast (i.e., believing one is worse than a better performing group member) was negatively related to learning, as were downward-identifying thoughts (i.e., believing one will perform as badly as a poorly performing teammate). Downward contrast (i.e., thinking one can do much better than the poor performer) was negatively related to trust. We concluded that social comparison-based thoughts are important to consider when designing teamwork because of their constructive and destructive consequences. [source] Self-evaluation and social comparison amongst adolescents with learning difficultiesJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Jason Crabtree Abstract Two studies are presented which examine self-evaluation in adolescents with learning difficulties and how these adolescents strategically protect their self-concept through the use of social comparison. Study one involved 145 adolescents with learning difficulties and the same number of non-disabled adolescents aged between 11 to 16 years. All adolescents completed Harter's ,Self Perception Profile for Children' (SPPC). No significant overall differences were found between the self-evaluations of the adolescents with learning difficulties and non-disabled adolescents. In addition, adolescents with learning difficulties strategically devalued less favourable comparison dimensions and valued more positive comparison attributes. Study two utilized a four condition between-groups design with a sample of 68 adolescents with learning difficulties. All participants completed the SPPC, but the availability of a social comparison group was systematically varied between conditions. The self-evaluations made by adolescents changed significantly when the social comparison group made available was altered. The findings are discussed with regard to their theoretical implications and in terms of inclusion policies for adolescents with learning difficulties. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The social construction of fairness: social influence and sense making in organizationsJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2002Kai Lamertz This paper explores how the social relationships employees have with peers and managers are associated with perceptions of organizational justice. These relationships are theoretically modelled as the conduits for social comparison, social cues, and social identification, which are sources of sense making about fairness ,in the eyes of the beholder.' It is argued that perceptions of procedural and interactional justice are affected by this type of social information processing because: (1) uncertainty exists about organizational procedures; (2) norms of interpersonal treatment vary between organizational cultures; and (3) interpersonal relationships symbolize membership in the organization. A structural equations model of data from workers in a telecommunications company showed that an employee's perceptions of both procedural and interactional fairness were significantly associated with the interactional fairness perceptions of a peer. In addition, employees' social capital, conceived as the number of relationships with managers, was positively associated with perceptions of interactional fairness. In the structural model, both procedural and interactional justice were themselves significant predictors of satisfaction with managerial maintenance of the employment relationship. The discussion highlights the key role which the fairness of interpersonal treatment appears to play in the formation of justice judgements. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Self-Compassion Versus Global Self-Esteem: Two Different Ways of Relating to OneselfJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2009Kristin D. Neff ABSTRACT This research examined self-compassion and self-esteem as they relate to various aspects of psychological functioning. Self-compassion entails treating oneself with kindness, recognizing one's shared humanity, and being mindful when considering negative aspects of oneself. Study 1 (N=2,187) compared self-compassion and global self-esteem as they relate to ego-focused reactivity. It was found that self-compassion predicted more stable feelings of self-worth than self-esteem and was less contingent on particular outcomes. Self-compassion also had a stronger negative association with social comparison, public self-consciousness, self-rumination, anger, and need for cognitive closure. Self-esteem (but not self-compassion) was positively associated with narcissism. Study 2 (N=165) compared global self-esteem and self-compassion with regard to positive mood states. It was found that the two constructs were statistically equivalent predictors of happiness, optimism, and positive affect. Results from these two studies suggest that self-compassion may be a useful alternative to global self-esteem when considering what constitutes a healthy self-stance. [source] Neuroticism and Social Comparison Orientation as Moderators of Affective Responses to Social Comparison at WorkJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2001Bram P. Buunk In a study among 72 nurses, the affective consequences of social comparison were examined and related to neuroticism (N) and to social comparison orientation (SCO). Participants were confronted with a bogus interview with an upward versus a downward comparison target. Positive affect and identification were higher, and negative affect was lower, in the upward than in the downward comparison condition. Independent of their SCO, the higher individuals were in N, the less they identified with the upward comparison target, the more they identified with the downward comparison target, and the less positive affect they showed following confrontation with the upward comparison target. In contrast, independent of their level of N, the higher individuals were in SCO, the more negative affect they showed following confrontation with the downward comparison target. The effects on negative affect stayed the same when controlling for positive affect, and the effects on positive affect stayed the same when controlling for negative affect. These effects were also obtained when perceived direction was used as a predictor instead of the experimentally manipulated direction. It is concluded that, although N and SCO are correlated, these variables seem to have independent and distinct effects upon the responses to social comparison information. [source] Social comparison as a coping strategy among caregivers of eating disorder patientsJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 9 2010I. JÁUREGUI LOBERA md phd Accessible summary ,,The paper describes social comparisons among caregivers of eating disorder patients as a coping strategy. ,,Different social comparison strategies were assessed in a sample of 96 caregivers as well as their self-esteem, characteristics of personality and perceived quality of life. ,,The use of unfavourable strategies was correlated to neuroticism and low self-esteem. ,,Women adopted worse strategies and the fact that having obtained different subgroups regarding the use of those strategies could have prognostic repercussions. Abstract The aim of the study was to determine any gender differences in the social comparisons made by caregivers of eating disorder patients and to analyse the relationship between social comparison and personality, age of caregivers, self-esteem, duration of illness, duration of treatment and perceived health and quality of life. We also explored the possibility of classifying caregivers according to these variables. Comparison strategies were analysed in a sample of 96 caregivers of eating disorder patients. The social comparison during illness scale, visual analogue scales of health and quality of life, self-esteem scale of Rosenberg and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were used. In order to explore possible groupings a cluster analysis was performed. A significant correlation between the use of more unfavourable strategies, neuroticism and low self-esteem was found. Women adopted worse strategies and the cluster analysis revealed two sub-groups with respect to comparisons, personality, self-esteem, self-perceived health status and quality of life. The finding of subgroups associated with worse comparison strategies, higher neuroticism, lower self-esteem and a poorer self-perception of health and quality of life could have repercussions as regards the prognosis of eating disorders and, at all events, should be taken into account during therapeutic work with families. [source] R&D managers' adaptation of firms' HRM practicesR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Pedro Ortín Ángel The heads of R&D departments are those most responsible for the adaptation of firms' human resource management (HRM) practices to the idiosyncrasies of their departments. From their description, this paper analyzes the HRM practices in R&D departments and the adaptation achieved in four different firms. The data suggest that the main adaptations are produced primarily in recruiting and organizing the work of R&D personnel. In contrast to suggestions in the specialized literature, less adaptation is found in other HRM practices analyzed (managerial support and degree of delegation, compensation and career plans). Psychological theories of procedural justice and social comparison can improve our understanding of such results. The organizational structure affects the reference group for such comparisons and, consequently, the R&D managers' capacity to adapt such practices. Based on these arguments, the delegation of HRM practices to R&D departments will enhance the degree of adaptation of such policies. [source] Managing intergroup attitudes among Hong Kong adolescents: Effects of social category inclusiveness and time pressureASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Shui-fong Lam Previous research has shown a widespread bias among Hong Kong adolescents against Chinese Mainlanders. Based on social identity and social cognitive theories, we examined the effects of identity frame switching (situational induction of social category inclusiveness) and time pressure (environmental constraints on social information processing) on Hong Kong adolescents' attitudes toward Chinese Mainlanders. Results indicated that Hong Kong adolescents had acquired a habitual tendency to make social comparisons within an exclusive regional framework of reference. This habitual tendency might lead to negative judgment biases toward Chinese Mainlanders, particularly when the adolescents made social judgments under time pressure. In addition, switching to an inclusive national frame of reference for social comparison attenuated negative intergroup attitudes. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. [source] Social rank and attachment in people with a bipolar disorderCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 1 2007P. Gilbert This paper explores the relationship between personal evaluations of attachment and personal evaluations of social rank, in relationship to mood variation in bipolar disorder. Forty patients with diagnosed bipolar affective disorder, who were regarded as ,relatively stable' by their psychiatrist, were given a set of self-report questionnaires, measuring attachment style, social comparison, submissive behaviour and various aspects of mood. Mood variation within this group was highly linked to variation in social rank evaluations. In particular, elevated mood was associated with feeling superior, while depression was associated with feeling inferior. Attachment also varied with mood but appeared to be less related to mood in this group. This study suggests that variation in social rank evaluations may be significantly associated with mood variation in patients with a bipolar disorder.,Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Linking stigma to psychological distress: testing a social,cognitive model of the experience of people with intellectual disabilitiesCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 4 2004Dave Dagnan In this study we explore the link between the social experience of people with intellectual disabilities and core cognitive process that have previously been shown to be related to a range of psychological disorders. Thirty-nine people with intellectual disabilities completed self-report scales measuring the perception of stigma, core negative evaluations and social comparison. Correlation analysis suggests that core negative evaluative beliefs about the self are positively associated with the experience of feeling different: a process that could be described as internalizing the experienced stigma. Relationships were also found between negative self-evaluations and the social attractiveness dimension of the social comparison scale. Using regression techniques stigma was found to have an impact on social comparison processes that was mediated by evaluative beliefs. These findings support a social,cognitive view of the importance of the social world to people with an intellectual disability, and the psychological damage that stigmatization can cause. We discuss interventions that integrate both social and cognitive domains.,Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] When nothing compares to me: how defensive motivations and similarity shape social comparison effectsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Diederik A. Stapel While similarity typically breeds social comparison, all information gained from social comparisons is not equally influential. Three studies illustrate the situations in which individuals defensively interpret social comparison information such that they incorporate information that reflects positively on the self and disregard negative information. Study 1 extends previous research to show that self-threat broadens the conditions under which defensive interpretations occur to include those in which similarity is ambiguous. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that defensive interpretations are less likely to occur when individuals are affirmed or when the comparison information is unimportant. These findings suggest that the impact of social comparisons on self-views is determined by both similarity of comparison targets and the motives of the perceiver. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Interpersonal leveling, independence, and self-enhancement: a comparison between Denmark and the US, and a relational practice framework for cultural psychology,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Lotte Thomsen We argue that the relational model that people use for organizing specific social interactions in any culture determines whether people self-enhance. Self-enhancement is not a functional consequence of the (independent or interdependent) cultural model of self. Across three studies, Danes self-enhanced considerably less than did Americans but were more independent on the Twenty Statements Test, made more individual attributions about social life, made more autonomous scenario choices, and were more independent on the self-construal scale. Public modesty did not account for these Danish-American differences in self-enhancement. However, Danes practiced interpersonal leveling, preferring equality of outcome more than did Americans. This leveling strongly and inversely predicted self-enhancement within both cultures and mediated Danish-American differences in self-enhancement. In contrast, no independence measure systematically predicted self-enhancement within both cultures nor mediated the cultural differences in self-enhancement. This dissociation of independence and self-enhancement demonstrates that self-enhancing downward social comparisons are not functionally necessary for an independent concept of self. We conclude that social relationships, not the model of the self, mediate the mutual constitution of psyche and culture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Group membership and everyday social comparison experiencesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Heather J. Smith In two everyday experience studies, we examined the degree to which everyday social comparisons are framed by group membership. In the first study, 30 undergraduates attending a public university in the United States completed short questionnaires about their social comparison experiences whenever they were signalled. In the second study, 34 ethnic minority undergraduates from the same university completed similar questionnaires about their social comparison experiences. Across both studies, comparisons in which participants viewed themselves as an ingroup member in comparison to an outgroup comprised less than 10% of the comparison experiences reported by participants. However, minorities in the second study who reported closer identification with their ethnic group reported more comparison experiences in which they mentioned their own or the comparison target's ethnicity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Challenge and threat responses during downward and upward social comparisonsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Wendy Berry Mendes We examined cardiovascular responses indicating challenge and threat during social comparisons. Experiment 1 manipulated comparison direction (i.e. upward/downward) within a cooperative social interaction, during which we measured cardiovascular responses, evaluations of demands and resources, and self-reports. Participants interacting with upward comparison partners evaluated the task as more ,threatening' (demands relative to resources) than participants cooperating with downward comparison partners. Moreover, participants cooperating with upward comparison partners exhibited cardiovascular reactivity consistent with threat (i.e. increased ventricle contractility, no changes in cardiac output, and vasoconstriction). In contrast, participants interacting with downward comparison partners exhibited challenge responses (i.e. increased contractility, increased cardiac output, and vasodilation). This basic finding was extended in Experiment 2 with the examination of a classic moderator of social comparison, attitudinal similarity of the comparison partner. Participants paired with attitudinally dissimilar partners exhibited exacerbated reactions relative to participants paired with attitudinally similar partners. That is, relative to similar partners, dissimilar partners engendered greater threat responses during upward comparisons and a tendency toward greater challenge responses during downward comparisons. These results are discussed within an assimilative/contrast model of social comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ,Seek and ye shall find': antecedents of assimilation and contrast in social comparisonEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Thomas Mussweiler Based on a Selective Accessibility (SA) model of comparison consequences, it is suggested that the self-evaluative effects of social comparisons depend on the nature of the hypothesis that is tested as a starting-point of the comparison process. If judges test the hypothesis that they are similar to the standard, then standard-consistent self-knowledge is rendered accessible so that self-evaluations are assimilated towards the standard. If judges test the hypothesis that they are dissimilar from the standard, however, standard-inconsistent self-knowledge is made accessible so that self-evaluations are contrasted away from the standard. These predictions are tested by inducing participants to test for similarity versus dissimilarity to the standard via a procedural priming manipulation. Consistent with the SA model, assimilation occurs if participants are procedurally primed to focus on similarities to the standard, whereas contrast results if they are primed to focus on dissimilarities. These findings suggest that similarity versus dissimilarity testing is a crucial determinant of assimilation versus contrast. It is proposed that distinguishing between these two alternative hypotheses may provide an integrative framework for an understanding of the self-evaluative consequences of social comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Responses to hedonically conflicting social comparisons: comparing happy and unhappy peopleEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Sonja Lyubomirsky Two laboratory studies explored how self-rated unhappy and happy students balance hedonically conflicting social comparison information, and tested whether unhappy students would be relatively more sensitive to hedonically consistent unfavorable information. In both studies, students working in teams of four competed against one other team on a novel verbal task. First, unhappy participants showed relatively greater sensitivity to undiluted unfavorable feedback,about group standing (e.g. your team ,lost'; Study 1) and about group and individual standing (e.g. your team lost and you were placed last; Study 2). Second, unhappy students were more reactive than happy students to individual social comparison information in the context of relative group feedback. In Study 1, the moods and self-assessments of unhappy individuals (but not happy ones) after news of team defeat appeared to be buffered by the additional news of personal triumph. In Study 2, unhappy students showed relatively larger decreases in mood and ability assessments after unfavorable than after favorable individual feedback (i.e. ranking last versus first), regardless of whether they additionally learned that their teams had won or lost. The role of students' attributions and perceptions of their personal contribution was also explored. Implications of these findings for the links among social comparison, cognitive processes, and hedonic consequences are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Social Support as a Moderator of the Big-Fish-in-a-Little-Pond Effect in Online Self-Help Support Groups,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005Cynthia M. H. Bane Downward social comparisons to others in a relatively unsuccessful group can bolster mood, a phenomenon known as the big-fish-in-a-little-pond effect (BFLPE). The current study examined social support as a moderator of the BFLPE in online weight-management support groups (SGs). Participants (N= 149) were recruited from weight-management message boards. In an Internet survey, participants made weight-related social comparisons to the average person and the average SG member. Big fish indicated that they would feel more self-pride after reading a downward social comparison message than did other participants, but the BFLPE occurred only for participants with lower weight-related social support. Social support could foster collective identity in online self-help support groups, reducing the BFLPE. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||