Social comparison, self-consistency, and the concept of self

Abstract

78 undergraduate job applicants casually encountered a stimulus person whose characteristics were either socially desirable or undesirable. 1/2 the Ss in each of these conditions found the other was competing with them for the same position, and 1/2 did not. Preliminary assessments were also made of the Ss' level of self-consistency. The major dependent variable was self-esteem change. As predicted by comparison theory, the socially desirable stimulus person produced a significant decrease in self-esteem, while the undesirable other significantly enhanced Ss' self-estimates. Ss low in self-consistency were most affected by the presence of the other, while extent of competition had no effect. It was also found that similarity between Ss and stimulus person tended to enhance self-esteem, while dissimilarity tended to reduce it. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1970 American Psychological Association.