PSYCH 135 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Social Comparison Theory, Jean-Paul Sartre, Positive Illusions
SOCIAL COMPARISON!
•
•how do we figure out what we are good at !
•how do you know that you are good at art or psych!
•how do you get feedback about yourself!
•grades!
•others tell us !
•you rarely get negative feedback !
•Sartre - The Look!
•anxiety - object of evaluation !
•We compare ourselves with other people around us !
•it is critical for !
•we need to choose a standard of comparison!
•relative where we stand!
•people who get more than us = better!
•people who get less than us = worse!
•when we choose our friends!
•we get to pick the reference point!
•we may feel that !
•we shift the standard of comparison depending on our motivation !
•hypothesis 5 !
•we have a motivation to be accurate and consistent , authentic!
•we have a motivation to be liked or to belong!
•sometimes these motivations are at odds with each other (make different
predictions)!
•the type of comparison we make, seeks the types of motivation!
Festinger - Social Comparison Theory!
•Upward comparison !
•choosing to compare with people at the top!
•typically makes us feel bad !
•how we improve, we get better!
•Downward comparison !
•choosing to compare with people at bottom!
•someone who is not doing as well!
•makes us feel good, usually!
•Who would you actually want to do better?!
•your friend or a stranger!
•Research #1: !
•Basking in reflected glory!
•Cialdini - influential !
•noticed that students wear t-shirts and clothing OSU on Monday morning !
•more likely to do so when their team won !
•the team winning affected whether the student !
•when the team won = WE won!
•when the team lost = THEY lost !
•it reflects well on us when a group that we people to does well!
•we take pleasure when those around us/we are connected to do well!
•eg feel threatened if my friend gets a !
Self evaluation Maintenance Theory !
•Tesser!
•we are motivated to feel positively about ourselves!
•so we do things to maintain things ( even when we are not aware)!
•how strong the connection is to you !
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Document Summary
This is what the theory predicts not shown by studies. Self veri cation theory: we want others to verify our beliefs or not, what i perceive to be the truth matters more than what the actual truth is. It depends - motivation to get certain types of feedback depends, changes. These theories were pitted against each other, which one does the better predicting job. Study #1: list 5 qualities and rate how positive expert feedback on personality on your highest and lowest ranking qualitites people are more likel self enhancement theory people choose the positive feedback. Study #3 people who were pre screened with lse and hse: hse, more positive views of the self. Lse: moderate self views, nobody is low on the scale people"s answers are, hse. How do they feel after getting this feedback: hse. Only got positive feedback all the time.
