Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Comparisons with other people play a significant role in social life, as they provide meaning and self-relevant knowledge. How people view their own circumstances, abilities, and behaviors varies according to the types of social comparisons they make. Although in his seminal work Leon Festinger (1954) did not offer a precise definition of social comparison, it is generally conceptualized as the process of thinking about the self in relation to other people. Individuals frequently make social comparisons because no objective comparison information is available; however, when both social and objective information is available, people are often more influenced by social information, as it is frequently more diagnostic than objective information. Further, many researchers believe that comparisons may be with real or imagined others, and do not require personal contact or conscious thought. Comparisons can also be made between one's own social group and another social group. Although comparison information can be encountered naturally in one's environment, most research has studied the types of comparisons that participants seek out intentionally. There are many motivations for seeking social comparison information. First, comparisons provide information for self-evaluation. In situations lacking objective standards, people often look to similar others as an indicator of how well one ... log in or subscribe to read full text