Social Comparison Orientation and Perspective Taking as Related to Responses to a Victim

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of social comparison orientation (SCO) on the responses to a victim. Participants (n = 87) were exposed to an interview with the alleged victim of a traffic accident, that was either an unfamiliar or a close other. A close other induced more feelings of oneness and more personal distress, but not more empathy, than an unfamiliar other. Higher levels of SCO resulted in more feelings of oneness and more helping behavior only in response to an unfamiliar other. The results suggest that those high in SCO tend to perceive more identification with others they do not know than those low in SCO.