How Collective Threats and Social Comparisons Can Affect Self-Esteem

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Spencer ◽  
Grace P. Lau
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem

Social and Temporal Comparisons as Moderators of Psychological Resources Associations With Wellbeing

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasida Ben-Zur
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Age Range ◽  
General Wellbeing

Abstract. The current study investigated the associations of psychological resources, social comparisons, and temporal comparisons with general wellbeing. The sample included 142 community participants (47.9% men; age range 23–83 years), who compared themselves with others, and with their younger selves, on eight dimensions (e.g., physical health, resilience). They also completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources of mastery and self-esteem, and three components of subjective wellbeing: life satisfaction and negative and positive affect. The main results showed that high levels of psychological resources contributed to wellbeing, with self-enhancing social and temporal comparisons moderating the effects of resources on certain wellbeing components. Specifically, under low levels of mastery or self-esteem self-enhancing social or temporal comparisons were related to either higher life satisfaction or positive affect. The results highlight the role of resources and comparisons in promoting people’s wellbeing, and suggest that self-enhancing comparisons function as cognitive coping mechanisms when psychological resources are low.

scholarly journals How Downward and Upward Comparisons on Facebook Influence Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissists’ Self-Esteem—A Priming Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Phillip Ozimek ◽  
Hans-Werner Bierhoff ◽  
Elke Rohmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Vulnerable Narcissism ◽  
And Control

Past research showed that social networking sites represent perfect platforms to satisfy narcissistic needs. The present study aimed to investigate how grandiose (GN) and vulnerable narcissism (VN) as well as social comparisons are associated with Facebook activity, which was measured with a self-report on three activity dimensions: Acting, Impressing, and Watching. In addition, the state self-esteem (SSE) was measured with respect to performance, social behavior, and appearance. One hundred and ten participants completed an online survey containing measures of SSE and Facebook activity and a priming procedure with three experimental conditions embedded in a social media context (upward comparison, downward comparison, and control group). Results indicated, as expected, that high VN was negatively associated with SSE on each subscale and the overall score. In addition, it was found that VN, but not GN, displayed positive associations with frequency of Facebook activities. Finally, it was proposed and confirmed that VN in interaction with the priming of downward comparisons negatively affected SSE. The conclusion drawn is that VN represents a key variable for the prediction of self-esteem as well as for the frequency of Facebook activity.

scholarly journals THE PROTECTIVE STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE: SELFPROTECTIVE MECHANISMS AMONG STIGMATIZED ADOLESCENTS

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Hillman ◽  
Paula C. Wood ◽  
Shlomo S. Sawilowsky
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Racial Prejudice ◽  
Factor Loadings ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
High Internal Consistency Reliability

Crocker and Major (1989) hypothesized three mechanisms by which members of stigmatized groups may protect self-esteem. The mechanisms are: a) ingroup social comparisons, b) valuing/devaluing performance selectively, and c) racial prejudice. We provide a test of Crocker and Major's hypothesized mechanisms with the development of the Protective Style Questionnaire which was administered to a sample of 78 African-American adolescents. Evidence of high internal consistency reliability (about .86) and factor loadings support the orthogonality of the three mechanisms. Results showed varying levels of endorsement of each mechanism.

scholarly journals ЗЛО СИЛЬНЕЕ ДОБРА, ЕСЛИ ДОБРО ВАЖНЕЕ ИСТИНЫ: ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВА И СЛЕДСТВИЯ

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-119
Author(s):  
Leonid Levit
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Positive Traits ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Experimental Researches ◽  
Practical Recommendations

В статье исследуется соотношение трёх главных человеческих ценностей – истины, добра и кра­соты. Критический анализ известных философских положений проводится с использованием результатов, полученных в современных экспериментальных исследованиях. В частности, обсуждается противоречие между требованием о приоритете истины перед добром в ситуации конфликта между этими ценностями и воздействием позитивных иллюзий, выявленных современной нейронаукой и свойственных функцио­ни­ро­ванию человеческого мозга. Так, широко распространен эффект «ложной уникальности», при котором че­ловек переоценивает собственные (точнее, высоко желаемые) позитивные качества и недооценивает нега­тивные. Массовая приверженность индивидов заблуждениям относительно величины своего внутреннего по­тенциала, наличия глубоко скрытых ресурсов в сочетании со стремлением поддержать высокую само­оцен­ку ведут к искажению проводимых социальных сравнений. Автор доказывает, что придание добру боль­шей значимости в сравнении с истиной неминуемо ведёт к последующей победе зла над добром. По­добное происходит в связи с большей доступностью и привлекательностью «неистинного» добра перед «ис­тинным». Главное преимущество опоры на истину заключается в её умении распознавать и отделять дол­го­вре­менные разновидности добра от его краткосрочных (как правило, гедонистически ориен­ти­ро­ванных) вариантов, нередко оборачивающихся злом в более отдалённой перспективе. Настоящее (истин­ное) добро, как правило, требует приложения первоначальных усилий, однако приносит пользу в течение длительного времени и оборачивается другими полезными эффектами. В конце статьи приводятся практические рекомендации, а также личный опыт автора, позволяющие информированному индивиду организовать собственное мышление и поведение с учётом выявленных закономерностей.     The article investigates the ratio between the main three human values – the truth, the good and the beauty. The analysis of the well-known philosophical postulates is conducted with the help of the results obtained in modern experimental researches. In particular, the author discusses the contradiction between the demand of the truth priority if the latter gets in conflict with the good, and the influence of the positive illusions, discovered by modern neuroscience and peculiar to human brain functioning. Thus the wide-spread effect of false uniqueness makes a person to overestimate her own (in fact highly wished) positive traits of character and underestimate negative ones. Mass proneness to the beliefs about individual inner potential and deeply seated resources combined with the desire of high self-esteem lead to the wrong social comparisons. The author of the paper proves that the priority of the good in comparison with the truth inevitably causes the situation, in which the evil defeats the good. This occurs because the untrue good is more easily achieved and utilized than the true good. On the contrary, the main advantage of the priority of the truth is the ability to discern and make distinctions between long-term forms of the good and its short-term (as a rule, hedonistically oriented) variants, which often turn to evil in the future perspective. As a rule, the genuine (true) good demands some efforts from an individual at first, but brings benefits and numerous useful effects for much longer periods of time. At the end of the paper, the author gives practical recommendations and shares his personal experience, which can help the informed individual to organize his own thinking and behavior with the help of the discovered regularities.

Upward Persistence and Downward Desistence: Some Reactions to Social-Comparison Deprivation after a Threat

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-122
Author(s):  
Nicolas Michinov ◽  
Louis Bavent
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Upward Comparison ◽  
Downward Comparison ◽  
Self Protection

Laboratory and field research has shown that people prefer either downward or upward comparison after a threatening experience. Downward comparison is generally used to protect self-esteem immediately after a threat. It can be regarded as a short-term self-protection strategy. Upward comparison is often used to see whether it is possible to improve a situation by finding similarities with more fortunate people. It can be regarded as a long-term self-improvement strategy. It was assumed here that deprivation of downward and upward comparison after a threat would generate different degrees of interest and persistence in making social comparisons. More specifically, we expected social comparison persistence to be greater after upward-comparison deprivation than after downward-comparison deprivation or no deprivation at all, especially with superior others. The results of two studies supported our predictions and are discussed in several theoretical frameworks.

Self-esteem and social comparisons on Facebook

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Midgley ◽  
Penelope Lockwood ◽  
Snezhana Buneeva
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document