social comparison definition psychology

Although an age-old idea and variously found as a building block for many theories of social behavior across disciplines, this insight was first systematically thought through by the social psychologist Leon Festinger in his now classic 1954 paper, “A Theory of Download as PDF. Nonverbal cues or communication play a very important role in an individual’s everyday life. Let’s talk about how we compare ourselves to others. social comparison theory: upward-compare ourselves to someone that is better than us; makes us feel bad. While there is no single definition, there are some common factors that many experts have identified as being important. downward-compare to someone that is worse than us; makes us feel good. thinking about information about one or more other people in relation to the self. In the initial theory, Festinger (1954) hypothesized several things. Our tendency to appraise events, objects, people, and social groups by making comparisons has captured the interest of social psychologists for over half a century. In contrast to psychological constructs previously examined in research with teachers that have mainly involved persistent motivational beliefs or personality characteristics, motivational strategies (also referred to as “coping strategies” in highly stressful circumstances; Skinner, Edge, Altman, & Sherwood, 2003, or emotional regulation, Gross, 1998) How exactly do psychologists define social cognition? Social comparison is the act of contrasting one’s own life with the lives of other people as they are publicly represented. Social comparison bias can be defined as Social Psychology Research Methods. And some of those nonverbal cues include gestures, paralinguistic, facial expression, body language and posture, eye gaze, proxemics, and appearance. Social comparison theory states that we determine our own social and personal worth based on how we stack up against others we perceive as somehow faring better or worse. ••Upward Social Comparisons. We propose a new model that distinguishes between individual and situational factors that increase social comparison and thus lead to a range of competitive attitudes and behavior. In Festinger’s paper on Social Comparison Theory, he writes that we tend to compare ourselves to In 1954, psychologistLeon Festingerhypothesized that people compare themselves to others in order to fulfill a basic human desire: the need forself-evaluation. In this comparison theory Of course one must be social in order to survive in the world today. There are also many different kinds of nonverbal cues or communication. Social comparison is a normal behavior strategy where we seek to better understand our status relating to ability, opinion, emotional reaction, and more, by comparing ourselves to other people. According to the theory, three psychological processes are central in that regard: social categorization, social comparison, and social identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(5), 967–979. Social comparison orientation: a new perspective on those who do and those who don’t compare with others. There are three sub types within the hierarchy of social structure theories: social disorganization theory, strain theory, and culture conflict theory. Social Comparison Social comparison bias is a product of human insecurity. unflattering social comparison can deliver a small shock to your previously contented self-concept (Bachman & O’Malley, 1986; Marsh, Köller, & Baumert, 2001). Social psychologists are interested in the ways that cultural forces influence psychological processes. Supported by Hypothesis 5: Accuracy and likability motives. Social psychology is a hybrid discipline, a fusion product of sociology and psychology. In Guimond, S. A Theory of Social Comparison Processes, Retrieved September 12, 2007, from hum.sagepub.com database A Theory of Social Comparison Processes Leon Festinger∗ In this paper we shall present a further development of a previously published theory concerning opinion influence processes in social … Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, … we have the drive to assess our opinions and abilities. Social cognition involves: 1. Social comparison bias happens in everyday society regularly. Social comparison is the process of evaluating one's attitudes and behavior by comparing them with those of other people. We compare ourselves with others.  Social Psychology Definition Paper PSY 400 Tara Young Social psychology is very interesting and impacts the world in different ways. Buunk, A.P., & Gibbons, F.X. Some like to know what makes one operate and why they do certain things. Social psychologists have one answer. From: Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance, 2012. the idea that there is a drive within individuals to look to outside images in order to evaluate their own opinions and abilities. DOWNWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON: "The downward social comparison sees a sick persom compare themselves to a dying person." a natural psychological tendency and one that can exert a powerful influence on the way we feel and behave. a natural psychological tendency and one that can exert a powerful influence on the way we feel and behave. April 7, 2013 A method of self-protection where we compare ourselves with people are less well off. When people believe that the represented lives of others are superior to their own, social comparison can lead to issues caused by the fear of missing out (), including anxiety, depression and a lack of self-esteem.The term is particularly relevant to social media. Downward social comparison is a defensive tendency that is used as a means of self-evaluation. sociometer hypothesis: we use ourselves as a comparison point for others. Social comparison is a theory developed by Leon Festinger which states that social comparison has many effects on everyday life, including body perception, learning in schools, self-esteem, exercise habits, and even balance. These different topics have been studied numerous times in the past. According to some studies, as much as 10 percent of our thoughts involve comparisons of some kind. (2006). Leon Festinger - We can choose to compare people at the top or bottom. Social comparison and affiliation under threat: Effects on recovery from major surgery. Downward Social Comparison. Leon Festinger (8 May 1919 – 11 February 1989) was an American social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory.His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulus-response conditioning accounts of human behavior. When a person looks to another individual or group that they consider to be worse off than themselves in order to feel better about their self or personal situation, they are making a downward social comparison. Social comparison occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and about our relative social status by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those of others. This volume provides an up-to-date synthesis of the latest theoretical and empirical developments in social psychology through research on social comparison processes. He called this process social comparisontheory. Social identity theory arose from Henri Tajfel’s early work, which examined the way perceptual processes resulted in social stereotypesand prejudice. Social comparison allows us to either learn about ourselves or feel good about ourselves, but rarely both. the study of how and why we perceive ourselves and others as we do. Social comparison theory was first proposed in 1954 by psychologist Leon Festinger and suggested