Social comparison theory was first proposed in 1954 by psychologist Leon Festinger and
suggested that people have an innate drive to evaluate themselves, often in comparison to others
. … She may also compare her abilities to those of students who play other instruments as well.
A central tenet of social comparison theory is that
individuals compare themselves with others when they are uncertain about their opinions and abilities
, especially in the absence of objective standards (Festinger, 1954). In our everyday life, social comparison is universal and valuable.
the proposition that people evaluate their abilities and attitudes in relation to those of others in a process that plays a significant role in self-image and subjective well-being
.
Social comparison is a pervasive and fundamental feature of group life. … Social identity theory is a theory that
rests on people making social comparisons between in-group and out-group
, or between self as in-grouper and other as out-grouper, in order to construct a sense of who they are and how they are evaluated.
Such social comparison may be based on a variety of criteria like intelligence, looks and economic status. The social comparison theory was first proposed by
American social psychologist Leon Festinger
in his 1954 paper “A theory of social comparison processes”.
Social comparison theory was first proposed in 1954 by psychologist Leon Festinger and suggested that people have an innate drive to evaluate themselves, often in comparison to others. … For example,
a music student might compare herself to the star student of the class
.
People who have higher self-esteem and fewer stressors in their lives
tend to fare better with social comparisons
. … However, those who have lower self-esteem or have recently experienced a setback can feel worse when they make upward social comparisons, experiencing both a drop in mood and often an increase in stress.
- Can increase positive affect.
- Can decrease negative moods.
- Can increase optimism about the future.
- Can enhance self-esteem.
- Can increase relationship satisfaction.
We use social comparison
to determine the accuracy and appropriateness of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior
. When we are able to compare ourselves favorably with others through downward social comparison, we feel good about ourselves.
The social comparison orientation in social networking sites could elicit negative emotions, which
decrease perceived social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being
. Theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future studies are discussed in detail.
Social identity refers to the ways that people's self-concepts are based on their membership in social groups. Examples include
sports teams, religions, nationalities, occupations, sexual orientation, ethnic groups, and gender
. … Affiliation with a group confers self-esteem, which helps to sustain the social identity.
Social categorization is
the process by which people categorize themselves and others into differentiated groups
. Categorization simplifies perception and cognition related to the social world by detecting inherent similarity relationships or by imposing structure on it (or both).
A weaknesses of the Social identity theory is that its
application is restricted in the sense that it has very low ecological validity
. Another weakness is that SIT favors situational factors rather than dispositional is not supported by evidence.
- Identify specific triggers. If you want to stop comparing yourself to others, determine when envy rears its ugly head. …
- Commit yourself to gratitude. …
- Document your achievements. …
- Embrace the competition. …
- Be your own best friend.
Why do we compare ourselves to others?
When we compare ourselves to others,
we get information about what we want and where we want to be
, and we get valuable feedback on how we measure up. However, they can also cause us a lot of psychological pain. It's when we start comparing ourselves to others too much that we run into problems.
Why do we need to avoid comparing ourselves with others?
Research has found that comparing breeds
feelings of envy
, low-self confidence, and depression, as well as compromises our ability to trust others. … When comparing leads you to devalue yourself or others you've entered dangerous territory.
