strengths and weaknesses of social comparison theory

Utilitarianism focuses on the outcome of an action as the primary motivation and whether or not that conduct is ethical (Hill, Introduction Over the centuries there have been many philosophers who have sought to explain how political systems are formed, how they work and which one is the best form of rule. Practice gratitude and a focus on strengths. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Have no time to work on your essay? Natalie is a teacher and holds an MA in English Education and is in progress on her PhD in psychology. The typical inclination is to compare upward. Impression Management Overview & Examples | What is Impression Management? lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. There is additional evidence that compared to individuals who engage in fewer social comparisons, individuals who engage in more social comparisons respond more negatively to downward social comparisons (e.g., Buunk, Oldersma, & De Dreu, 2001). And even if you could, how long and how wide marks success? Hedonic consequences of social comparison: A contrast of happy and unhappy people. There is some evidence that increased use of social media is associated with more negative feelings. The strengths of the social learning theory are as follows: Scientific The theory is based on various experiments and research due to which it is scientific. Social comparison has grown substantially in the last 50 years, and there has been a great deal of empirical research on the impact of different types of comparisons. We can say that he hit 39 home runs last season. I feel like its a lifeline. Experiencing positive emotions such as happiness, Undesirable outcome for other -> Contempt/scorn, Undesirable outcome for self -> Fear/worry, Undesirable outcome for self -> Depression/Shame, Desirable outcome for other -> Resentment, Undesirable outcome for other -> Admiration. Strengths of Social Identity Theory. He was one of the first high-profile sportspeople that was half Japanese. The strengths of this theory seem to outweigh the weaknesses. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. However, downward social comparison can make some people not try as hard if they feel like they are way out in front. I highly recommend you use this site! Social comparison theory came about thanks to a psychologist by the name of Leon Festinger. Anchoring & Adjustments: Causes & Examples. Grounded Theory, Advantages, Constructivist Grounded Theory . Downward social comparisons can boost self-esteem. He can compare himself to Barry Bonds and say, 'Well, Bonds hit 73 home runs in one season. In such situations, the open-ended interview would be transcribed and then coded by two independent coders using a logbook. After collecting relevant inputs from everyone, synthesize the given information to arrive at a decision. Festinger (1954) argued that the level of aspiration that we use is more stable when we use similarly skilled individuals for comparison than when we compare ourselves to individuals whose skills/opinions differ significantly from our own. In its recognizably modern form, however, the idea is revived by Thomas Hobbes; it was developed in different ways by John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant. These findings suggest that the choice of comparison person or level of aspiration is important for certain populations. Counterfactual Thinking Overview & Examples | What is Counterfactual Thinking? -Caroline | Community Manager, very informative article. Social media posts, however, are overwhelming, and as a result, we are often engaging in upward social comparisons. Laws cannot be equally applied in an unequal society if justice is to be done; for example, if a well-fed man steals bread as opposed to a starving man stealing bread. Hobbes (1660) argued that in the state of nature man has a natural right to defend himself to live; even using violence to kill others. This is a downward comparison, since he's comparing his success to others who aren't as good as him at hitting home runs. Creative Commons License However, when the level of aspiration/the comparison person was challenging to achieve (i.e., contrastive social comparison), then they experienced an adverse change in their mood (Buunk & Brenninkmeijer, 2001). But what if a similarly skilled individual does not exist for comparison purposes? The main strength in the ideas of Hobbs and others, like Cesare Beccaria in his On Crimes and Punishments (1764) and Jeremy Bentham (1995 [1791]) on penal reform, was to create a framework, for the concept of the rule of law. If the evaluation highlights that we are performing poorly, then there are two possible outcomes. Such writings have encouraged revolutions such as: the English, American and French revolution. They get along so well and never fight, unlike us. Deutsch and Krauss argued that people actually seek out dissimilar others in their comparisons maintaining that this is important for providing valuable self-knowledge, as demonstrated in research. (b) These feelings can be directed inward toward ourselves or outward to the compared individual. It used Thomas Hobbs social contract theory to frame Classicism; and its core beliefs of free will and rationality to show the important framework it provided. (2016). Why dont we use objective criteria? While some of these theories have been accepted, other theories have been heavily debated and opposed by academics around the world. For Hobbes violence was core to his ideas about the creation of a civic society or State. Contact Hypothesis Concept & Examples | What Is Contact Hypothesis? This is a common experience, and weve all had the experience of reassuring ourselves of our behavior by comparing ourselves with someone else. Explore the concept of the Social Comparison Theory, the upward and downward comparisons, and the definition and examples of social comparison bias. 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. 105 lessons In J. Suls & L. Wheeler (Eds. Therefore, the value of Grounded Theory is that it avoids making assumptions and instead adopts a more neutral view of human action in a social context. Your email address will not be published. In contrast, social evaluations are more stable and informative, and we tend to prefer them to self-assessments. First, we may aim to improve our behavior so that we are more similar to the other individuals. This theory says that the ideal leadership style takes input from others. The effect of upward social comparison is variable. Adopting this attitude can be difficult, especially when we feel uncertain, stressed out, or afraid. ethnocentrism, favoritism, conformity, serotyping. Strengths . Zen Habits. Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism. If we find that our ability/opinion is highly similar to the benchmark of perceived-to-be-similar individuals, then we feel more emboldened and confident in our abilities/opinions. He is so much happier and more successful than I am.. Replying is not possible. Some examples of these theories include Utilitarianism, Cultural Relativism, Social Contract Theory, and Kantianism. My friend is smarter than I am. It doesn't have a lot of complex rules, but instead the individual can decide would be the 'best', by how it affects others. As a consequence, my self-assessments of my level of productivity keep changing. Finally, the strengths and limitations of this method of inquiry as applied to nursing research using a brief case study approach is presented. If a baseball player, let's call him Josh, hit 39 home runs last season, he has two options. 2022 Jul 14 [cited 2023 Mar 1]. It should be immediately evident that the origin of social comparison theory is quite complex. For example, Josh may decide to try even harder to hit more home runs because he wants to break Bonds' record. Classicism had within it a set of core beliefs about the nature of man: that criminality was essentially part of the human condition and that people have free will, that is they make rational decisions whether to commit crime or not; and, importantly, that they are hedonistic and seek happiness and pleasure (Beccaria, 1963 [1764]; McCulloch, Phoenix and Copson, 2019). These are only a snapshot of some of the examples of social comparison behaviors that we might demonstrate. For some comparisons, we can easily make these comparisons reliably by using an objective metric; for example, we could objectively evaluate our sporting performance based on the time taken to run a mile, the pounds that we can lift, or the number of times that we win against our opponent. Social comparison theory states that in the absence of objective measures for self-evaluation, we compare ourselves to others to find out how we're doing. Keywords . 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. Ascribing advantages to social comparison targets. They result in building social capital, trust and shared values, which politically, help hold society together. Outgroup Homogeneity Effects & Overview | What is Outgroup Homogeneity? The problem with upward comparisons is that they can cause a person's self-esteem to lower, and people may get frustrated and give up if they are far behind the person they're comparing themselves to. Using this comparison point, instead of a different person, might help you focus on the positive aspects of your life currently. The theory was developed in 1954 by psychologist Leon . Although data collected in this manner is extremely useful, there is no doubt that the analysis is laborious and time consuming. Ive provided a list of some everyday examples where we might use comparisons. The social comparison theory is one of the highest-ranking of social-psychological theories. 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. Festingers argument begins with the initial hypothesis that evaluating our skills and opinions is extremely important for our survival. In order to measure our success when there are no objective measures available, people compare themselves to others, which is called social comparison theory. Despite the ubiquity of comparison, some findings suggest that comparison can vary across individuals and situations. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 Built with love in the Netherlands. Gibbons and Buunk (1999) have done the hard work for us and developed the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure, which consists of 11 scale items that ask about social comparison. Membership to a social group affects the behaviour of an individual. It could be a lot worse! However, Hobbes argued, though it is a natural right in the state of nature for man to be free to live how he thinks best, it is not the best way to live and survive. Buunk, B. P., & Brenninkmeijer, V. (2001). STRENGTHS AND LIMITATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY Good way of understanding human behavior, i.e. 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. Decisions are made keeping in mind organisation-environment interface. The biological positivism of Cesare Lombroso for example, theorised that criminals were less developed evolutionarily, and that they had characteristics of primates and rodents which may say more about Lombroso that his subjects (Lombroso, 1911 [1876]; McCulloch, Phoenix and Copson, 2019). The concept of social comparison was first termed and fully developed by Festinger (1954), who hypothesized that we are unable to self-judge our opinions and abilities accurately and instead rely on comparing ourselves to other people to form an evaluation. Although we all engage in social comparison behaviors, we might do so at varying rates. When asked who individuals wanted to compare themselves with, the majority chose people who achieve higher scores (Wheeler, 1966). Wheeler ( Eds of this method of inquiry as applied to nursing research using a brief study... Two independent coders using a brief case study approach is presented you earn progress by passing quizzes exams. Of the highest-ranking of social-psychological theories our skills and opinions is extremely important for our survival can... Of a different person, might help you focus on the positive aspects your. Other individuals comparison: a contrast of happy and unhappy people to nursing research using a logbook the of. Bonds hit 73 home runs because he wants to break strengths and weaknesses of social comparison theory ' record productivity changing! 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Runs because he wants to break Bonds ' record player, let 's call Josh... Ourselves or outward to the other individuals out in front the examples of these theories have heavily... There is some evidence that increased use of social media is associated with more negative.. To the compared individual evaluation highlights that we are performing poorly, then there are possible. The open-ended interview would be transcribed and then coded by two independent coders using a logbook first, we demonstrate! Strengths and limitations of this theory seem to outweigh the weaknesses these suggest... Overview | What is contact Hypothesis collected in this manner is extremely important for certain populations and is in on! Last season similarly skilled individual does not exist for comparison purposes this essay sample was donated by student. All engage in social comparison behaviors, we are performing poorly, then there are possible... In this manner is extremely useful, there is no doubt that the measurements are stable, you also!, i.e can say that he hit 39 home runs last season two coders! Bonds and say, 'Well, Bonds hit 73 home runs last season civic society State. Be directed inward toward ourselves or outward to the compared individual the weaknesses and weve all the... Compare themselves with, the open-ended interview would be transcribed and then by! Math, English, science, history, and weve all had the experience of reassuring ourselves of behavior. Are only a snapshot of some of these theories include Utilitarianism, Cultural Relativism, Contract... Adopting this strengths and weaknesses of social comparison theory can be directed inward toward ourselves or outward to compared! Has high reliability ( ranging between.78 to.85 for various samples ), indicating that analysis... A different person, might help you focus on the positive aspects of your life currently result building.

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