Search results for "Social comparison"

Do social comparison and coping styles play a role in the development of burnout? Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings

2006

The present longitudinal research among 558 teachers focused on the role of upward comparisons (with others performing better), downward comparisons (with others performing worse), and coping styles in relation to burnout. Assessed were identification (recognizing oneself in the other) and contrast (seeing the other as a competitor) in upward and downward comparison. Cross-sectionally, downward identification and upward contrast were positively related to burnout and negatively related to a direct coping style, whereas upward identification was negatively related to burnout and positively related to a direct coping style. Downward identification was positively related to a palliative coping…

The role of online social comparison as a protective factor for psychological wellbeing: A longitudinal study during the COVID-19 quarantine

2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the experience of quarantine has been an undesirable condition for people and it can have a negative impact on mental health and psychological wellbeing. Social isolation has led to an increase in time spent on social network sites, with people interacting more frequently with each other, and comparing online the way in which they are experiencing the same state of home confinement. Our study aimed to investigate the role of online social comparison on individuals' psychological distress and life satisfaction during the COVID-19-related quarantine. Specifically, a cross-lagged panel study at three-waves was conducted in Italy in order to examine the chan…

Instagram Inspiration: How Upward Comparison on Social Network Sites Can Contribute to Well-Being

2020

Abstract Passive exposure to others’ positive self-presentations on social network sites (SNS) such as Instagram has been repeatedly associated with reduced well-being, particularly by triggering upward social comparison and envy. However, prior research has largely neglected that upward comparisons on SNS may also facilitate positive outcomes, specifically media-induced inspiration, a motivational state highly conducive to well-being. We conducted two experiments that tested whether and how cognitive-affective processing of visual SNS postings results in inspiration. Study 1 (N = 270) provides first evidence that users react to more positive, optimized Instagram nature and travel posts wit…

Social comparison processes, narrative mapping and their shaping of the cancer experience: a case study of an elite athlete.

2011

Drawing on data generated by life history interviews and fieldwork observations we illuminate the ways in which a young elite athlete named David (a pseudonym) gave meaning to his experiences of cancer that eventually led to his death. Central to this process were the ways in which David utilized both social comparisons and a narrative map provided by the published autobiography of Lance Armstrong (2000). Our analysis reveals the selective manner in which social comparison processes operated around the following key dimensions: mental attitude to treatment; the sporting body; the ageing body; and physical appearance. The manner in which different comparison targets were chosen, the ways in…

Dark consequences of social media-induced fear of missing out (FoMO): Social media stalking, comparisons, and fatigue

2021

Research on the dark side of social media usage has explored the fear of missing out (FoMO), social media fatigue (fatigue), social media stalking (stalking), and online social comparison (social comparison) independently. Accordingly, the complex interrelationships among these phenomena have remained understudied, creating a chasm that hinders a clearer understanding of their drivers and the potential counterstrategies to mitigate the collateral damage they may cause. We attempt to bridge this gap by drawing upon the theory of social comparison and the theory of compensatory internet use to formulate a framework that hypothesizes the mechanism of interaction among these negative fallouts. …

Trading Data for Health

2021

mHealth apps are growing in popularity among smartphone users. Such apps often contain social features that enable users to compare their behavior with others but to function, mHealth apps require users to share health information which is considered a threat to individuals’ privacy. Building on social comparison theory and research on privacy decision-making, we investigate the effects of users’ social comparison orientation and privacy attitudes as well as the potential mediating effect of health information disclosure on users’ intention to use a dietary app. Relying on a PLS-based structural-equation model in a sample of N = 528 participants, our study supports claims of a positive effe…

2021

The coach-created motivational climate influences variations in athletes’ motivation and emotional experiences. The present study aimed to examine social environmental antecedents of athletes’ emotions. Participants (N = 262, 52% female, M age = 22.75 ± 6.92) completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of coach-created motivational climates, goal orientations, motivation regulations, and emotions. The mediation effects of goal orientations (i.e., task/ego) and motivation regulations (i.e., autonomous/controlled) on the relationship between motivational climate (i.e., empowering/disempowering) and emotions (i.e., happiness, excitement, anxiety, dejection, and anger) were examined. Structu…

Social media users’ online subjective well-being and fatigue: A network heterogeneity perspective

2021

Scholars have drawn increasing attention to the implications of the dark side of social media for users’ online subjective well-being (OSWB). We develop a research framework based on the limited-capacity model to examine the relationship between OSWB and social media fatigue. Moreover, we explore the associations between specific aspects related to network heterogeneity and social media fatigue for social media users in the United States of America (USA). Further, we examine the mediating effect of network heterogeneity on the association between OSWB and social media fatigue. We utilised a cross-sectional research design to collect data from Prolific Academic (N = 320) and analysed the dat…

‘More homework for me, too’. Meanings of differentiation constructed by elementary-aged students in classroom interaction

2012

Although the necessary role of differentiation in special education is well established in the literature, little is known about its social and peer interaction implications from the student perspective. The present qualitative study aims at offering detailed observational analyses of the meanings that 7- to 9-year-old students give to differentiated instruction in its initial phases in authentic classroom activities. The results were yielded from an ethno–methodological conversation analysis of the video-recordings of authentic classroom situations in a part-time Finnish special education setting (N = 12 lessons). The results revealed that whilst differentiation as a pedagogical solution s…

A positive role model may stimulate career oriented behavior.

2007

This study examined the effects of social comparison among students in their final year of study. Participants were presented with a fictitious interview with a new graduate who was either successful or unsuccessful in the job market. Exposure to the successful target led to a higher degree of inspiration, identification, and proactive career behavior than did exposure to the unsuccessful target. The higher participants were in social comparison orientation (dispositional tendency to compare oneself with others), the more they identified with the targets and the more proactive career behavior they showed. This suggests that, overall, comparing oneself with others may inspire individuals to …