Consequences of Social Comparisons, by Term Paper

It seems they may filter or distort the results or the comparisons to get the final positive results they desire. This is also extremely interesting, and would seem to be a good candidate for further study. Do people with high self-esteem ignore negative comparisons in order to maintain their levels of self-esteem? The results of a more comprehensive study into this phenomenon would prove to be interesting reading, it seems.

Another interesting finding is the results of threats on downward comparisons. It seems that threat may actually create more downward comparisons in other areas. These comparisons actually add to the threatening feelings, rather than reduce them. In this, the results seem much like that of depression, which has been termed by some to be like a "vicious whirlpool," sucking in everything around it and creating negative results out of almost all experiences. The depressed mind becomes skewed, and sees everything negatively, and it seems that threat can cause the same results.Ultimately, these two studies indicate that nothing can be assumed in the study of social comparison theory. The author makes it clear these assumptions have been common in the past, and they have been incorrect. As the author notes, "Taken together, these results tie in with a larger body of literature in social cognition suggesting that there are cognitive filters of selective attention, representation, and recall that help people maintain positive beliefs" (Author). Thus, the student should be wary of assumptions in this, or any other study, and should never simply agree with common assumptions. This article shows how dangerous assumption can be, and how it can change the entire focus of a study or research if it is not examined and questioned.

References

Author not Given. "The Affective Consequences of Social Comparison: Either Direction Has Its Ups and Downs." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1990,….....