Social Comparison Theory

Social Comparison Theory

Social comparison theory, developed by Leon Festinger [Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140.] , suggests that people use others to evaluate themselves, especially when an objective standard is unavailable or appears irrelevant. The theory suggests that people begin by relying on objective or non-social standards. For example, I evaluate myself as a generous person as long as I contribute 10% of my income to my church. Second, people compare themselves to others. For example, I might ask my fellow church-goers how much they contribute, compare their responses with my contribution, and use this comparison to evaluate how generous I am. [Croson, Rachel, and Jen (Yue) Shang. 2008. "The Impact of Downward Social Information on Contribution Decisions." Experimental Economics 11 221-233.]

The theory has grown to play an important role in social psychology, sociology, and organizational theory to explain the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations.


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