Social Comparison Theory in Psychology

Social comparison theory suggests that people value their personal and social worth by assessing how they compare to others. First introduced in 1954, this psychological theory describes the comparison processes people utilize to evaluate their actions, accomplishments, and opinions in contrast to those of other people.

In psychology, social comparison theory is one explanation for this tendency we have to make comparisons between ourselves and others. Let's take a closer look at how social comparison theory works and how the comparisons we make can influence the views we hold of ourselves.

History of Social Comparison Theory

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. People make all kinds of judgments about themselves, and one of the key ways they do this is through social comparison or analyzing the self in relation to others.

For example, imagine that a high school student has just signed up for band class to learn how to play the clarinet. As they evaluate their skills and progress, they compare their performance to other students in the class.

They might initially compare their abilities to the other members of the clarinet section, particularly noting those who are better than them, as well as those who are worse. They may also compare their musical abilities to those of students who play other instruments, even comparing themself to the star student of the class.

Types of Social Comparison

The social comparison process involves people coming to know themselves by evaluating their attitudes, abilities, and traits in comparison with others. There are two kinds of social comparison—upward social comparison and downward social comparison.

Upward Social Comparison

Upward comparison takes place when we compare ourselves with those who we believe are better than or superior to us. These comparisons often focus on the desire to improve ourselves, our current status, or our level of ability. We might compare ourselves to someone better off and look for ways that we can achieve similar results.

Downward Social Comparison

Downward social comparisons are when we compare ourselves to others who are worse off than us. Such comparisons are often centered on making ourselves feel better about our abilities or traits. We might not be great at something, but at least we are better off than someone else.

When Social Comparisons Are Inaccurate

According to Festinger, people rely on social comparisons to accurately assess their abilities, traits, and attitudes. In cases where your comparisons are not effective or lead to inaccuracies in your self-judgment, you might find yourself in situations that are too difficult or complex for your current skill level. Here's an example.

When you compare yourself to your friends, you might feel that you are physically fit. So, you sign up for a marathon believing that you can finish with no problem. However, when race day arrives, you find yourself surrounded by people much more athletic than you, quickly realizing that your initial assessment of your abilities was overly optimistic.

Impact of Social Comparison

Comparing ourselves to others can be both beneficial and harmful. The difference lies in the types of comparisons being made, or whether they are upward or downward.

If you want to assess your skill as a basketball player, you might begin comparing your performance to other people that you know, such as a friend who plays on a school's basketball team. This is an example of upward social comparison.

In comparison to them, your performance is not nearly as skilled. At first, you may feel discouraged by the gap between your ability levels. But you might also realize that you can eventually achieve a similar skill level with a little practice. In this case, the upward social comparison may make you more motivated to improve upon your abilities.

Conversely, you might also compare your basketball abilities to a friend who couldn't make a basket to save their life. In comparison, your performance is much better. This is an example of downward social comparison. In this case, observing your friend’s poor skills can make you feel better about your own abilities.

Takeaways

Social comparison not only plays a role in the judgments that people make about themselves but also in the way that people behave. As you compare yourself to others, consider how both upward and downward social comparison might influence your self-belief, confidence, motivation, and attitude, and watch for negative feelings that might emerge as a result of this process.