A theory of social comparison processes leon festinger. Social comparison is the basic human tendency to feel good or bad about ourselves based on how we compare to others. An increasingly dominant theme in social psychology runs counter to festingers emphasis on accurate selfevaluation. Overview of the theory festinger s 1954 theory of social comparison maintains that people need to have stable, accurate appraisals of themselves. There are many constructs that dont have objective. Leon festingers social comparison theory the psychology notes. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. Social comparison theory why dont we use objective criteria. Apr 19, 2018 thinking about or priming similarity before conducting a comparison lessens this effect, largely in line with current accounts. Festinger 1954 a theory of social comparison processes. Festingers social comparison theory provides an important. Learn about social comparison theory, the process people go. Pdf social comparisons comparisons between the self and others are a fundamental psychological.
Festingers social comparison theory dealt with comparison. Social comparison theory states that in the absence of objective measures for selfevaluation, we compare ourselves to others to find out how were doing. This article integrates these changes with insights offered by recent social comparison studies and. Apr 08, 2017 the social comparison theory was developed by social psychologist leon festinger. Wood state university of new york at stony brook social comparison theory has evolved considerably since festinger 1954 originally proposed it. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of. The social comparison theory was developed by social psychologist leon festinger.
Pdf a theory of social comparison processes semantic scholar. Article information, pdf download for a theory of social comparison. Festinger argued that humans have a drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities. Study the difference between upward and downward social comparison in the context of festinger s social comparison theory. A theory of social comparison processes, retrieved september 12, 2007, from hum. How social neuroscience can inform theories of social.
Leon festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Based on social interdependence theorizing and the ideas of lewins center for the study of group dynamics, morton deutsch proposed in 1949 that how group members believe their goals are related very much impacts their dynamics and success. Festingers social comparison theory provides an important rationale for how individuals come to know themselves. Thinking about or priming similarity before conducting a comparison lessens this effect, largely in line with current accounts. By looking at the profile photograph, the user gains an impression of a persons physical attractiveness, and the users vita shows which career path the person is pursuing. Leon festinger was a prominent american social psychologist.
Leon festingers 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. His work in social psychology focused on the impact of the social environment on the formation and change of attitudes, on processes of social comparison by which individuals evaluate their attitudes and abilities, and on the manner in which cognitive inconsistencies cause changes in attitudes and behaviors. Social comparison theory was first proposed in 1954 by psychologist leon festinger and. Social comparison and the idealized images of advertising. Festingers social comparison theory dealt with comparison within groups and other facetoface comparisons. According to festingers social comparison theory, people who compare themselves with those who are similar to them typically produce. A theory of social comparison processes center for human science. The old one states that members of a particular group would want to be parallel with each other because a uniform agreement must be made so that the group is able to come up with a common decision. This article notices that social comparison theory has developed from being a focused theoretical statement on the use of others for selfevaluation into a lively and varied area of research encompassing many different paradigms, approaches and applications. Leon festinger leon festinger cognitive dissonance. Against the background of festinger s social comparison theory, the focus of this research is on the effects of online profiles on their recipients. The theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others in order to reduce uncertainty in these. Deutschs theory of cooperation and competition springerlink.
N2 proposes a theory of temporal and historical comparison, developed from l. Festingers hypothesis according to festingers theory of social comparison people gain selfknowledge and selfawareness by comparing themselves to others. Festingers social comparison theory festingers social comparison theory is a successor of his theory. Although festingers unidirectional drive upward recognized individuals interest in selfimprovement, few studies have ex amined its role in social comparison. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social. In line with festingers 1954 theory, comparisons have stronger effects if they are on novel dimensions andor with localinvivo targets. Contrary to the original theory or subsequent research, a the individual is not always an unbiased selfevaluator but may seek many goals through social comparison. While at the university of minnesota, festinger read about a cult that believed that the end of the world was at hand. Jun 01, 2019 festiner this time, festinger published his highly influential paper on social comparison theory, extending his prior theory regarding the evaluation of attitudes in social groups to the evaluation of abilities in social groups. Thus, if a person evaluates his running ability, he will do so by comparing his time to. By looking at the profile photograph, the user gains an impression of a person s physical attractiveness, and the user s vita shows which career path the person is pursuing. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal.
People make all kinds of judgments about themselves, and one of the key ways that we do this is through social comparison, or analyzing the self in relation to. Status hierarchies are everpresent, and not only in obvious places like military organizations and corporations. According to festingers social comparison theory, people. A recent renaissance in social comparison theory is described in which links were established with social comparison work from before.
Social comparison theory, initially proposed by social psychologist leon festinger in 1954, centers on the belief that there is a drive within individuals to gain. What are some potential consequences or faults of the importance of status and the resulting competition in todays society. People often form judgments about their traits and abilities by comparing themselves to others. Leon festingers social comparison theory the psychology. Festinger defined two types of comparisons upward comparisons and. Social comparison theory free online psychology dictionary. People make all kinds of judgments about themselves, and one of the key ways that we do this is through social comparison, or analyzing the self in. While festingers 1954 original social comparison theory hypothesized that people generally have a drive to make comparisons that result in favorable outcomes, research has indicated that this tenant of the original theory does not hold among women who make appearancerelated comparisons fitzsimmonscraft, 2011. Informal social communication theory was about the power of the group over the person.
In line with festinger s 1954 theory, comparisons have stronger effects if they are on novel dimensions andor with localinvivo targets. Social comparison the comparative nature of selfviews means that people must consult the social world to gain selfknowledge. Social comparison activity under threat downward evaluation. When psychologists think of social comparison theory, they initially recall leon festingers classic paper on a theory of social comparison processes. The self in a social context chapter summary and learning objectives. What are some potential consequences or faults of the importance of status and the resulting competition in today s society.
However, in the three decades since the publication of this work, social comparison theory has evolved in several ways. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Early research in social psychology on level of aspiration and on reference groups contributed to leon festingers social comparison theory, which he proposed in 1954. Social comparison theory received little attention after its original publication. Social comparison theory states that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others. Eating disorderrelated social comparison in college women. Social comparison theory has evolved considerably since festinger 1954 originally proposed it. Personal relative deprivation, by definition, requires comparison with others smith et al. The theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others in order to reduce uncertainty in these domains, and learn how to define the self. A longstanding literature in social psychology tells us that humans are never done comparing. Pdf social comparison refers to the processes by which individuals.
Festingers see record 195502305001 theory of social comparison by means of a metatheoretical device, conceptual translation, a semantic algorithm that consists of an informal dictionary and a set of rewriting rules. According to festinger s theory of social comparison people gain selfknowledge and selfawareness by comparing themselves to others. Social comparison is an aspect of social perception, and has developed from a theory initially proposed by social psychologist leon festinger in 1954. Leon festinger was a 20th century psychologist who developed the theories of cognitive dissonance and social comparison. The theory posits that people prefer to evaluate themselves using objective and nonsocial standards, but if such objective in. Keech, reported receiving messages from extraterrestrial aliens that the world would end in a great flood on a specific date. Jun 11, 2017 a lot of earlier research had impact on festingers formulation of the social comparison theory, and these include studies on social groups, group dynamics, social communication, conformity and the autokinetic effect, compliant behavior, level of aspiration, and independence and dependence in response to unanimous majority.
Festingers social comparison theory festingers social comparison theory is a successor of his theory of informal. At the university of minnesota, festinger developed social comparison theory, his second major contribution to social psychology. A theory of social comparison processes leon festinger, 1954. Leon festinger s 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. 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. New directions in social comparison research semantic scholar. Sep 23, 2019 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. Social comparison theory assumes that people tend to evaluate their successes, failures and opinions in relation to others festinger, 1954. Social comparison theory in psychology verywell mind. Leon festinger 1954 different types of comparison we use objective criteria when available o how tall am i how much do i weigh how fast did i run. Social identity social comparison relative deprivation social identity theory. This insight forms the heart of festingers social comparison theory festinger, 1954.
Overview of the theory festingers 1954 theory of social comparison maintains that people need to have stable, accurate appraisals of themselves. A modern theory of social comparison draws on both these developments for its formulation. Festinger defined two types of comparisons upward comparisons and downward comparisons. In this paper we shall present a further development of a previously published theory concerning opinion. This paper further s festinger s views on group influences of opinions and applies it to abilities as well.
Festingers influential social comparison theory can cognitkva viewed as an extension of his prior theory related. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. Against the background of festingers social comparison theory, the focus of this research is on. Since festingers seminal work on the phenomenon in the 1950s 6, the psychological consequences of social comparison have been demonstrated through a range of methods, including neuroscience research on momentary rewards in the. This may occur with reference to a physical reality. Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. Festingers social comparison theory psychology essay. His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulusresponse conditioning accounts of human behavior. People sometimes compare themselves to others as a way of.
It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions for good. New directions in social comparison research semantic. Leon festingers social comparison theory by maria scrimenti. The concept of social comparison was first termed and fully developed by festinger 1954, who hypothesized that we are unable to selfjudge our opinions and abilities accurately, and instead rely on comparing ourselves to other people to form an evaluation. Study of motivation involving selfannounced goals of fifth grade children and the concept of level of. People prefer to compare themselves to others in a close proximity such as coworkers, friends, family members, etc. A recent renaissance in social comparison theory is described in which links were established with social comparison work from before festinger s 1954 classic paper and in which various new methods and theoretical models were developed. Festingers social comparison theory by sara longmire on prezi. These theories continue to play a role in contemporary psychology. According to festingers social comparison theory, people often form judgments about their traits and abilities by comparing themselves with others. In this paper we shall present a further development of a previously published theory concerning opinion influence processes in social groups 7. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes joanne v.
Leon festinger 1957 festingers seminal 1957 work integrated existing research literature on influence and social communication under his theory of cognitive dissonance. The history of festingers social comparison theory is traced from its publication in 1954 to its celebration at the apa convention in 1984. A lot of earlier research had impact on festingers formulation of the social comparison theory, and these include studies on social groups, group dynamics, social communication, conformity and the autokinetic effect, compliant behavior, level of aspiration, and independence and dependence in response to unanimous majority. Social comparison, personal relative deprivation, and. Schiff1 1university of michigan and 2university of notre dame abstract social comparisonthe tendency to selfevaluate by comparing ourselves to othersis an important source of competitive behavior. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way. Social comparison theory, initially proposed by social psychologist leon festinger in 1954, centers on the belief that there is a drive within individuals to gain accurate selfevaluations. This theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and desires by comparing themselves to others. In contrast, social comparison theory emphasized how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities against those of others. What other theories could maybe relate back to this theory. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. This states that people evaluate their own abilities and attitude relative to other peoples. She attracted a group of followers who left jobs, schools, and spouses and.
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