An introduction to the theory of cognitive dissonance. According to festingers social comparison theory people often. University of groningen the effects of social comparison. Pdf social comparison and influence in groups researchgate. According to festingers social comparison theory people. Feb 21, 2014 social comparison theory is part of social psychology, but can also show how merchandising and marketing is effective through the use of social comparisons in advertisements.
Social comparison and the idealized images of advertising. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal. Festingers social comparison theory provides an important. 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 others. The theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others in order to reduce uncertainty in these. Festinger defined two types of comparisons upward comparisons and downward comparisons. Social comparison theory has also been applied to an academic setting. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Impact of social comparison on cancer survivors quality of life.
According to festingers social comparison theory, people. In a time of abundant information, the risk of picking up only those data that support our previous convictions is always there. Many criticisms arose regarding festingers similarity hypothesis. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Members of a group are motivated to help achieve the goals of the group. 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. Research suggests that upwards social comparisons can predict success in an academic environment. 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. Festinger s theory proposes that inconsistency among beliefs or behaviours causes an uncomfortable psychological tension i. Full text of festingerrieckenschachterwhenprophecyfails 1956. When abilities are being evaluated, pressures toward uniformity combine. But i am able to recognize that the psychological premises on which the system is based are an untenable illusion. Based on festingers 1957 dissonance reducing strategies, three consumer strategies are proposed. Cognitive dissonance was first investigated by leon festinger, arising out of a participant observation study of a cult which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood, and what happened to its members particularly the really committed ones who had given up their homes and jobs to work for the cult when the flood did not.
Festingers social comparison theory by sara longmire on prezi. Apr 08, 2017 the social comparison theory was developed by social psychologist leon festinger. 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. 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. 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. Full text of festingerrieckenschachterwhenprophecyfails. According to the theory, this process is most likely to occur when a. 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. People sometimes compare themselves to others as a way of.
The societal pressures to wear certain clothes and look a certain way did indeed increase the group uniformity at eagan high school, which is one of festingers hypotheses about the social comparison theory. Festinger s 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. A theory of social comparison processes, retrieved september 12, 2007, from hum. People prefer to compare themselves to others in a close proximity such as coworkers, friends, family members, etc. I cannot enquire into whether the abolition of private property is expedient or advantageous. From the time festinger launched the study of social comparison processes with his seminal paper in 1954, social comparison theory has been applied to virtually every type of evaluation that is important to peoples understanding of who. 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 paper further s festinger s views on group influences of opinions and applies it to abilities as well. In this paper we shall present a further development of a previously published theory concerning. We compare ourselves to others to learn about our feelings, traits, and abilities. Leon festingers social comparison theory the psychology. Although festingers original theory on social comparison had a somewhat restricted focus on the comparison of abilities and opinions, over the past 5 decades, work on social comparison has undergone numerous transitions and reformulations, and, in the process, has developed from a focused theoretical statement on the use of others for self. As suggested by mettee and smith 1977, this theory is about our quest to know ourselves, about the search for.
If both make an social comparison, social attractiveness and evolution 153 evaluation offavorable relative rhp, there is a pairwise contest or fight, and the loser suffers a fall in rhp, so that next time they meet there is a difference in rhp, and the loser will submit or back off. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory, thibaut and kelleys 1959 exchange theory, and homanss 1961 theory of distributive justicethree conceptualizations in which social comparison processes feature prominently. I have no concern with any economic criticisms of the communist system. Social comparison theory social comparison theory the social comparison theory was proposed by the social psychologist leon festinger in 1954. From a social comparison perspective, strangers positive posts on social. Social comparison theory assumes that people tend to evaluate their successes, failures and opinions in relation to others festinger, 1954. This chapter is a reminder of social comparison theorys foundations in group processes rather than an. According to leon festingers 1954 social comparison theory, we have a need to evaluate our. 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. Original theory festingers 1954 social comparison theory postulates that humans have a drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities. A crosssectional research design was employed to explore the relationship between social comparison, paranoid social cognitions, and submissive behaviors in patients with social anxiety.
Greenberg 16 reports a study in competition in which pairs of children, seated together at a table, were to construct things out of stones blocks which were initially all in one common pile. What other theories could maybe relate back to this theory. Social comparison iowa state university digital repository. Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957. Proposes a theory of temporal and historical comparison, developed from l. Leon festinger, born may 8, 1919, brooklyn, new york, u. Sep 15, 2009 this was the signature look of a girl considered attractive and worthwhile, and an important comparison dimension for many girls. Festingers see record 195502305001 theory of social comparison by means of a metatheoretical device, conceptual translation, a semantic algorithm that consists of. From the time festinger launched the study of social comparison processes with his seminal paper in 1954, social comparison theory has been applied to virtually every type of evaluation that is important to peoples.
Social comparison theory states that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others. Source for information on social comparison processes. This is chapter one of leon festinger, a theory of cognitive dissonance. The theory is a term referring to the process through which people come to know themselves by evaluating their own attitudes, abilities, and beliefs in comparison with others cherry, n. Leon festingers theory of social comparison processes festinger, 1954. The theory of cognitive dissonance is what resulted from his research festinger, 1957. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes joanne v. His first hypothesis states that there exist, in the human organism, a drive to evaluate his opinions and abilities. Kunda, 1997, individuals may deliberately avoid joining groups that include. 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. 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. What are some potential consequences or faults of the importance of status and the resulting competition in today s society.
Downward social comparison acts in the opposite direction. 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. According to festingers theory of social comparison people gain selfknowledge and selfawareness by comparing themselves to others. Festinger 1954 used the theory to explain shifts in members opinions.
Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. Pdf on jan 2, 2018, j p gerber and others published social comparison theory entry for encyclopedia of personality and individual differences find, read and cite all the research you need on. Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to. According to festinger s theory of social comparison people gain selfknowledge and selfawareness by comparing themselves to others. A theory of social comparison processes leon festinger. More re cently, social comparison theory has been expanded to include motives for social comparison other than selfevaluation, in. Pdf social comparison theory entry for encyclopedia of. A theory of social comparison processes leon festinger, 1954. In a 4 to 5 page doublespaced apaformatted paper, thoroughly examine each of the following questionstopics be. Festinger s social comparison theory provides an important rationale for how individuals come to know themselves. Future research could combine the theoretical and methodological.
This paper furthers festingers views on group influences of opinions and applies it to abilities as well. Downward social comparison and upward social comparison are an important part of making judgments in everyday life, but upward social comparison is heavily portrayed in. Festingers 1954 prominent linking of the social com. A social and psychological study of a modern group that predicted the end of the world university of minnesota press. In 1951, leon festinger was asked to develop a propositional inventory of the area of communication and social influence. A theory of social comparison processes 8 there is some indirect corroboration of this from experimental evidence. This states that people evaluate their own abilities and attitude relative to other peoples.
The theory has obviously stood the test of time in that it is mentioned in most general and social psychology textbooks today. This was the signature look of a girl considered attractive and worthwhile, and an important comparison dimension for many girls. A theory of social comparison processes center for human science. The social comparison theory was developed by social psychologist leon festinger. Festingers social comparison theory psychology essay. Based on social comparison theory and previous research, we expect. Classic and current social comparison research semantic scholar. Social comparison, social attractiveness and evolution. Festingers social comparison theory provides an important rationale for how individuals come to know themselves. Festingers social comparison theory dealt with comparison within groups and other facetoface comparisons. Pdf on jan 2, 2018, j p gerber and others published social comparison theory entry for encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. Full text of festingerrieckenschachterwhenprophecy.
Given the minimal research conducted in combining these areas within the. Motivation and emotionbook2014social comparison and. People sometimes compare themselves to others as a. There are many constructs that dont have objective. Festinger argued that humans have a drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities. In this paper we shall present a further development of a previously published theory concerning opinion influence processes in social groups 7. This chapter is a reminder of social comparison theory s foundations in group processes rather than an extension of social comparison to groups. Theory and research concerning social comparisons of. Social comparison theory states that in the absence of objective measures for selfevaluation, we compare ourselves to others to find out how were doing. The original formulation of social comparison theory festinger 1954 demonstrated how, in the absence of objective standards, individuals use other people to fulfill their informational needs to evaluate their own opinions and abilities. What are some potential consequences or faults of the importance of status and the resulting competition in todays society. Here are presented all the main aspects of the theory. The theory of cognitive dissonance is what resulted from.
Wood state university of new york at stony brook social comparison theory has evolved considerably since festinger 1954 originally proposed it. In the rest of the book many behavioural facts supporting the theory are put forward. Nevertheless, it was not until festingers 1954 classic paper that the term social comparison was proposed and a detailed theory on social comparison that included speciwc propositions and corollaries was outlined. We draw not only on research that has directly examined competition but also on studies in social comparison and related fields that have significant implications for its analysis. This chapter is a reminder of social comparison theorys foundations in group. Social comparison theory why dont we use objective criteria. From a social comparison perspective, strangers positive posts on social media are expect.
We come to know ourselves by comparing ourselves to other people. This may occur with reference to a physical reality. Leon festinger mentioned his hypotheses in his book entitled social comparison processes that gives substantial exploration of his theory. According to festingers social comparison theory, people often form judgments about their traits and abilities by comparing themselves with others.