collins 1996 upward social comparison

A variety of events may also activate uncertainty such as one's self or a friend contemplating ending the relationship, getting married, or receiving attention from an attractive alternative. Some evidence exists that the immediate use of social media results in: The relationship between upward social comparison on social media and depression is more complicated than it appears. Pancultural self-enhancement. That is, participants were exposed to the equivalent of an acquaintance's Facebook profile. Appreciation: Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. Give examples of the use of upward and downward social comparison and their influences on social cognition and affect. Social Comparison Theory & 12 Real-Life Examples. For example, there are positive associations between happiness and self-esteem (Baumeister etal., 2003, Lyubomirsky and Lepper, 1999), and life satisfaction and self-esteem (Kong etal., 2015, Lyubomirsky and Lepper, 1999). Supporting the idea that people from Eastern cultures are less likely to need to self-enhance, Heine and Lehman (1999) found that Japanese students were more critical of themselves and thus had larger discrepancies between their ideal selves and actual selves than did Canadian students, and yet at the same time, the Japanese students were less distressed by these discrepancies. Periods of uncertainty such as during change and stress activate the tendency to make social comparisons (e.g., Butzer & Kuiper, 2006). You can see that in these cases the actual characteristics of the individual person has not changed at all; only the social situation and the comparison others have changed. He is so much happier and more successful than I am.. In such instances, this individual is no longer considered a viable comparison and is no longer included in comparisons. Although downward comparison provides us with positive feelings, upward social comparison, which occurs when we compare ourselves with others who are better off than we are, is also possible (Blanton, Buunk, Gibbons, & Kuyper, 1999; Vrugt & Koenis, 2002). Not all group members are included in comparisons. Perceived self-efficacy, personal goals, social comparison, and scientific productivity. In this section, we will consider in more detail the social aspects of the self by considering the many ways that the social situation determines our self-concept. Schachter, S. (1959). ___ I see myself as belonging to the group of University of Maryland students. In this article, we will explore social comparison theory and how our social comparisons can lead to positive and negative emotions. New York, NY: Kulwer Academic/Plenum. I enjoy working with clients of all ages. This was a statistically significant difference, and Schachter concluded that the women chose to affiliate with each other in order to reduce their anxiety about the upcoming shocks. For upward comparisons, we are seen as more inferior to the comparison person, and for downward comparisons, we are considered as more superior. After making a specific relationship social comparison these interpretations impact not only one's relationship quality, but also the amount of attention paid to alternative partners and how one feels about the self. (2002). For better or worse: The impact of social comparison on self-evaluations. Representative examples of her practice include: Copyright 2023 Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar, P.C. Abstract. Glad you liked the post! 385-395, Relationship social comparisons: Your facebook page affects my relationship and personal well-being. Upward social comparison on social network sites and depressive symptoms: A moderated mediation model of self-esteem and optimism. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 181227. Smith (2000) provides an extremely useful figure that we have replicated below. If he can run a half-marathon, then so can I. I feel happy knowing that I beat my neighbor in the half-marathon. These types of comparisons with similar individuals yield more useful, reliable assessments. Self-discrepancies as predictors of vulnerability to distinct syndromes of chronic emotional distress. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102(1), 321. The current study explores four types of emotions reflecting distinct dimensions of social orientationinterpersonal affiliation vs. distance,and valencepositive vs. negative,that users may experience on Facebook and their relationship to psychological well-being through two distinct routes: perceived relationship harmony and perceived control. Social identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(5), 967979. The outcomes of upward and downward social comparisons can have a substantial impact on our feelings, on our attempts to do better, and even on whether or not we want to continue performing an activity. 335-340, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 75, 2017, pp. Kind regards, Social comparison is basic to social psychology. ___ I make excuses for belonging to the group of University of Maryland students. In Western cultures, non-relationship social comparison research indicates that these comparisons affect self-esteem (Morse & Gergen, 1970), self-enhancement (Lockwood & Kunda, 1997) depression (Jensen & Karoly, 1992), negative affect (Bui and Pelham, 1999, Tesser etal., 1988), and positive affect (Bui & Pelham, 1999). In this study, participants were contacted in the waiting area of the San Francisco airport and asked to fill out a short questionnaire for the researcher. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press. Sliding scale: apply if you may be eligible, If you see your insurance listed, please ask me to verify coverage when you, Licensed by State of Michigan / 6801095931. Social comparison, self-consistency, and the concept of self. But the comparison point in a gratitude exercise remains constant despite our surroundings and circumstances, and in that, we can feel content. Smith (2000) further expands this argument by arguing that: (a) These contrastive and assimilative outcomes can result in positive and negative feelings specifically. : the case of Facebook, Facebook use depending on age: The influence of social comparisons, Upward social comparison on mobile social media and depression: The mediating role of envy and the moderating role of marital quality, Computer-Mediated Communication and Well-Being in the Age of Social Media: A Systematic Review, Gamifying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques on Smartphones for Bangkok's Millennials With Depressive Symptoms: Interdisciplinary Game Development, Social networking sites and relationship social comparison: Effect of relational and individual factors, Comparing you, me, and us: Social comparisons in the context of close relationships, Subjective Social Status of High School Freshmen in the Transitional Period: the Impact of Extraversion, Attachment security and social comparisons as predictors of Pinterest users body image concerns, Two faces of social comparison on Facebook: The interplay between social comparison orientation, emotions, and psychological well-being, Feelings on Facebook and their correlates with psychological well-being: The moderating role of culture, Social media social comparison and identity distress at the college transition: A dual-path model, Do you dare to compare? Associations between maternal social comparisons on social networking sites and parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes, Romantic motivations for social media use, social comparison, and online aggression among adolescents. Specifically, individuals with the following traits are more likely to engage in social comparison (Buunk & Gibbons, 2007): Upward social comparison was thought to result in more negative feelings (e.g., shame, inferiority); the research, however, is equivocal. Kulik, J. Buunk, A. P., & Gibbons, F. X. Jay Fallon, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Utica, MI, 48317, (586) 554-2904, Taking that first step in deciding to come to therapy can be a difficult decision, but at For Better or Worse: The Impact of Upward Social Comparison on Self-Evaluations. Psychological Bulletin 119(1):5169. WebCollins, R. L. (1996). (1995). Still, one pattern seems clear: the outcome of social comparisons hinges on who we are, who we are comparing ourselves to, and what we want from the comparison. Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free. Together these studies indicate that in Western cultures relationship social comparisons are important predictors of relationship quality, and that online social networking sites are one medium that can impact relationship quality. (2013). 1, pp. Upward social comparison leads to positive feelings about the self, but this usually happens when one subjects themselves to it by choice (Nosanchuk and Erickson (1996). Sometimes we may choose to handicap ourselves by choosing someone who is extremely superior (Shepperd & Taylor, 1999). Social comparison of ability on social media had a positive association with concurrent rumination, which predicted higher identity distress. Dont worry if the items are big or small. Good examples of survival behaviors and beliefs include running quickly (so that you can outrun a lion) and having an opinion about how newly discovered food should be eaten. When we are outperformed by others on a dimension that we care about, we attempt to save our self-esteem, for instance, by downplaying the importance of the task or by attributing the success to the other persons luck or other external factors (Tesser, 1988). Evidence has shown that upward social comparison on mobile social media can have negative effect for individuals mental health, such as a higher risk of depression. If you are a Midwesterner at heart, or if you live in the best fraternity house on campus, your membership in the group becomes part of what you are, and the membership makes you feel good about yourself. My other colleagues situation reminds me to plan my work better so that Im not in the same position that theyre in. For better or worse: The impact of upward social comparison on self-evaluations. These comparisons make them feel better about their own possible outcomes. When making a social evaluation, we are unlikely to compare ourselves with a randomly chosen individual; instead, we are inclined to draw comparisons with individuals whose ability or opinion we judge as being close to our own. Normally, our group memberships result in positive feelings, which occur because we perceive our own groups, and thus ourselves, in a positive light. Comparisons can be further classified as contrastive or assimilative. (1996). Previous studies on this issue have mainly focused on adolescents and college students, but less on married adults well-being. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. One half of the participants (those in the high-anxiety condition) were told that the shocks would be painful and intense, although they were assured that they could do no permanent damage. For instance, Kulik, Mahler, and Moore (1996) found that hospital patients who were awaiting surgery preferred to talk to other individuals who were expecting to have similar procedures rather than to patients who were having different procedures, so that they could share information about what they might expect to experience. Results indicated that, controlling for participants' age, body mass, and Pinterest use identification, adult attachment orientations and social comparisons each made significant and incremental contributions to each indicator of body image concerns. When group membership and conforming to group norms are desirable, then we are more likely to reject members who are very different from us. We recruited 130 participants (63 males, 67 females) from an introductory psychology course at a large Canadian university for partial course credit. Similarly, Emmons and Diener (1985) indicate that satisfaction with life is more highly correlated with interpersonal than intrapersonal comparisons. Although we use social comparison in part to develop our self-conceptthat is, to form accurate conclusions about our attitudes, abilities, and opinionssocial comparison has perhaps an even bigger impact on our self-esteem. 857913). Across two studies, we then manipulated a mocked-up Facebook profile of a young, attractive, heterosexual couple to produce an upward or downward relationship comparison and measured the effects of this social comparison on perceivers' relationship cognitions, affect, and behavior. In M. R. Leary, J. P. Tangney, M. R. E. Leary, & J. P. E. Tangney (Eds. More specifically that upward social comparison on mobile social media was more strongly associated with depression and envy in adults with lower marital quality. When asked about relationship social comparisons in general (i.e., no reference to social media), Morry (2011) found that within a given three months, dating individuals made 9.64 relationship comparisons to 3.76 other couples. Social comparison refers to the processes by which individuals evaluate their own abilities, opinions, attitudes, feelings, physical features, accomplishments, or any When individuals dislike exposure to an actively coping role model: Mood change as related to depression and social comparison orientation. This can be especially important for people who are transitioning from one stage of their lives to another and dont know whether they are performing at the optimal level. Smart or not? Assimilative outcomes are associated with more positive and desirable emotions. Webself-critical comparison process regarding their bodies. Yet, the identity implications of online social comparison have not been thoroughly explored. Blanton, H., Buunk, B. P., Gibbons, F. X., & Kuyper, H. (1999). In fact, one study suggested that in the top 10% of happy individuals, all but one person was currently involved in a romantic relationship (Diener & Seligman, 2002). Given the arguments presented in section 1.1.2 that the interpretations should mediate the effects of manipulated social comparison direction on relationship quality, we also expected the interpretations to mediate the effects of manipulated social comparison direction on the personal well-being variables. This study only focused on the interpersonal factor (i.e., marriage quality) as a moderating variable, not investigating the potential moderating roles of personality factors and other interpersonal factors. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Hogg, M. A. The role of information diagnosticity. WebA social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on These meta-analyses of 60+ years of social comparison research focused on 2 issues: the choice of a comparison target Nicole | Community Manager. Social identity refers to the positive emotions that we experience as a member of an important social group. The presence of optimism further mediates this relationship. Culture and basic psychological principles. Self-discrepancies and developmental shifts in vulnerability: Life transitions in the regulatory significance of others. Collins, R. L. (1996). Feinstein, B. These findings suggest that any effects of social comparisons and the interpretations on relationship quality may also influence one's personal well-being. Culture, self-discrepancies, and self-satisfaction. Buunk etal. For instance, East Asian students, who come from a collectivistic culture, are more likely to describe themselves in terms of group identities (I am a member of a church, I am a student at my university) and to make references to other people (I try to make other people happy, I cook dinner with my sister) than are European and American students, who come from an individualistic culture (Trafimow, Triandis, & Goto, 1991). One of the main concerns stemming directly from research related to Festinger's theory of social comparison processes (1954) involves understanding the relations between upward comparisons, downward comparisons, and self-esteem (e.g., Blanton, 2001). Given the pervasive use of Facebook among college students, exposure to a friend's Facebook profile may also increase uncertainty through the friend's overly positive comments and photos (Chou & Edge, 2012). The psychology of affiliation. Viewing other people's Facebook profiles may be one place that a more relatively automatic relationship social comparison is likely to occur. He was one of the first high-profile sportspeople that was half Japanese. These questions can be answered only by comparing ourselves with those around us. Implications regarding adaptive consequences of experiencing culturally fit emotions on Facebook are discussed. Determine whether we are good enough (abilities) or correct (opinions), Set a benchmark of what we aim to achieve, Upward drive is stronger when the comparison is made. (1995). I think to be in the role he is now, and people be telling me that I am the face of Japans multiculturalism is something Ive always dreamed about., Naomi Osaka describing how Apolo Ohno is her role model. Wills, T. A. Marsh, H. W., Kong, C.-K., & Hau, K-T. (2000). Social comparison and affiliation under threat: Effects on recovery from major surgery. Collins, R. L. (1996). Instead, we should be grateful for what we have achieved and grateful that we can continue to achieve what we desire. Gibbons, F. X. Determinants of student self-concept: Is it better to be a relatively large fish in a small pond even if you dont learn to swim as well? When uncertain about how the self is doing, individuals often look to others to evaluate their situation, resulting in a social comparison. ___ I identify with the group of University of Maryland students. Smith, P. B., & Bond, M. H. (1999). The research about social comparisons is complex and equivocal. These comparisons can be with people that we know and interact with, with those that we read about or see on TV, or with anyone else that we view as important. Sometimes these behaviors make us feel better and can be motivating; however, they can also lead to detrimental side effects. Festinger (1954) argued that we are driven to assess our abilities and opinions to: This benchmark is referred to as the level of aspiration. WebUpward comparisons can also serve a self-enhancement function through assim- ilation with the target (Collins 1996; Taylor and Lobel 1989; Wood 1989). This study examines whether adolescent motivations for social media use, social comparison tendencies and gender are related to online aggression victimization and/or perpetration. One simple yet powerful demonstration of how the culture influences our self-concept is a study that was conducted by Kim and Markus (1999). These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients build healthy, life-enriching relationships. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 5169. We then tested whether the manipulated comparison direction affected the RSCI (positive upward, positive downward, and negative interpretations), relationship quality, and attention to alternatives (H1). Of the 11 items, 6 of the questions ask about ability. Contrastive comparisons further emphasize the difference between the compared persons and us. Buunk, A. P., Gibbons, F. X., & Visser, A. Together we will create a safe and sacred space where you can be your truest selves, share your deepest pain, and emerge stronger and live a more satisfying life. At the same time, the study expands current knowledge of why these forms of social comparison may lead to differential outcomes, namely through the type of introspection they induce. 221-229, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 79, 2018, pp. Someone similar to me would be a good example (e.g., approximately the same age and education without children), and I would not compare myself against someone exceptionally dissimilar (e.g., a parent who is trying to work while keeping an eye on their children). If Facebook users have a stronger ability-based social comparison orientation, their psychological well-being decreases via upward contrastive emotions (e.g., depression and envy) toward the comparison other; however, it increases via downward assimilative emotions (e.g., worry and sympathy). In downward social comparisons, the outcomes for us can be desirable or undesirable. Which of our many category identities is most accessible for us will vary from day to day as a function of the particular situation we are in. WebEmail Jennifer. They arrived at the experimental room to find a scientist dressed in a white lab coat, standing in front of a large array of electrical machinery. Knowing this, what can we do instead? After completing the questionnaires (which were not used in the data analysis except to determine the cultural backgrounds), participants were asked if they would like to take a pen with them as a token of appreciation. Pemberton, M., & Sedikides, C. (2001). Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. The emotion toward the comparison person that is evoked through the comparison differs for contrastive and assimilative outcomes. Manipulated comparison direction predicted individual's relationship social comparison interpretations (RSCI). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(1), 6079. For example: For each item, participants indicate their level of agreement on a five-point scale, ranging from I disagree strongly to I agree strongly. The scale has high reliability (ranging between .78 to .85 for various samples), indicating that the measurements are stable. In J. Suls & L. Wheeler (Eds.). Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51(4), 593607. My colleague always manages to balance work and life. Well learn about different types of social comparison theories and how different comparisons result in different emotional states. These relationship social comparisons can be used to assess the suitability of the partner; feelings and experiences in the relationship (Surra & Milardo, 1991); or to evaluate one's beliefs about close relationships (e.g., divorce; Stalder, 2012). As a result, which of the many group memberships a person emphasizes at a given time will depend on the situation as well as the persons goals in that situation. Want to create or adapt books like this? In Western cultures, individuals not only compare themselves to others (e.g., Lockwood, 2002, Tesser and Collins, 1988) and to their dating partner (e.g., Lockwood, Dolderman, Sadler, & Gerchak, 2004), but they also compare their romantic partner and the state of their relationship to others (Buunk, 2001, Buunk etal., 2001, Morry and Sucharyna, 2016). The instability of our self-assessments is due to the volatility of our self-imposed benchmarks. PositivePsychology.com. H. I. M., & Moore, P. J. Other researchers also suggest that the impact of social comparisons on one's own sense of self, perceptions of the partner, or the relationship depends on both the comparison direction and the individual's interpretation of what this comparison means for the self (Lockwood & Pinkus, 2008). And Europeans and Americans make more positive statements about themselves (I am an excellent cook, I am intelligent), whereas East Asians are more likely to make positive statements about others (Markus, Kitayama, & Heiman, 1996; Smith & Bond, 1999). Emphasizing that were a good school and we beat them evidently provided a social identity for these students, allowing them to feel good about themselves. My colleague struggles all the time with the same topics, whereas it just clicks for me. These findings indicate that social comparison theory needs to be expanded to include one's interpretation of the comparison. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(2), 280291. These social network sites are used by individuals to present a public self image (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). The self has meaning only within the social context, and it is not wrong to say that the social situation defines our self-concept and our self-esteem. Web19 Citations Part of the The Springer Series in Social Clinical Psychology book series (SSSC) Abstract Social comparisons may be thought to serve two basic functions: (1) to provide a check on ones version of reality, and (2) to serve as a basis for self-evaluation. Here are some examples where an upward social comparison is not productive and results in negative behaviors: At least I didnt embarrass myself in front of everyone like that girl..

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