Comparison-Level Preferences After Performance: Is Downward Comparison Theory Still Useful?

Although often credited with prompting a paradigm shift in social comparison theory, T. A. Wills's (1981) downward comparison (DC) theory has received some criticism recently. In particular, several recent studies have failed to find support for T. A. Wills's (1981) contention that threat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality and social psychology 2002-10, Vol.83 (4), p.865-880
Main Authors: Gibbons, Frederick X, Lane, David J, Gerrard, Meg, Reis-Bergan, Monica, Lautrup, Carrie L, Pexa, Nancy A, Blanton, Hart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement
Adaptation, Psychological
Affect
Analysis of Variance
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Educational Measurement
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Interpersonal relations
Male
Motivation
Paradigms
Preferences
Psychological Theory
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Regression Analysis
Self Concept
Smoking Cessation
Smoking Cessation - psychology
Social attribution, perception and cognition
Social Behavior
Social Comparison
Social psychology
Test Performance
Test Scores
Theories
Theory
United States
Wills, T A
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Summary:Although often credited with prompting a paradigm shift in social comparison theory, T. A. Wills's (1981) downward comparison (DC) theory has received some criticism recently. In particular, several recent studies have failed to find support for T. A. Wills's (1981) contention that threat and accompanying negative affect lead to a desire for DC. These apparent failures have led some investigators to question basic principles of the theory. To resolve this controversy, 5 studies were conducted examining preferred comparison level (PCL) after performance; 4 of the studies also assessed change in this preference. Results supported DC theory, but with modifications. Specifically, individuals who performed poorly lowered their PCLs. Under some circumstances, this"downward shift" included an increased interest in"true" DC-comparing with worse-off others. A reconciliation of these results with those of previous studies is offered.
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.865