Strategies of social comparison among people with low self-esteem: Self-protection and self-enhancement.

Abstract

People with low self-esteem (LSE) seem to focus on self-protection; rather than trying to achieve gains for their self-esteem, they try to avoid losses. This research examined, in a social comparison context, the hypothesis that LSE Ss seek self-enhancement when they have an opportunity that is "safe," that is, carrying little risk of humiliation. Exps 1 and 2 indicated that LSE Ss sought the most social comparisons after receiving success feedback, whereas high-self-esteem (HSE) Ss sought the most comparisons after failure. Further results suggested that LSE Ss who succeeded were seizing a safe means of self-enhancement and that HSE Ss who failed were seeking to compensate for the failure. Also supporting this interpretation for LSE Ss was Exp 3, in which LSE Ss who succeeded sought the most comparisons when such comparisons promised to be favorable. All 3 studies illustrate the value of a new measure of social comparison selection.

TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem

“…Conversely, when low explicit self-esteem is accompanied by positive implicit self-esteem, self-serving responses may serve to undermine conscious negative self-feelings, if only temporarily. This undermining of conscious negative self-feelings may increase low self-esteem individuals' felt safety or risk-taking to engage in self-protection and self-enhancing strategies (Brown, Collins, & Schmidt, 1988;Wood, Giordano-Beech, Taylor, Michela, & Gaus, 1994). These assertions are speculative, however, and they await direct empirical support.…”

Social comparisons and organizational support: Implications for commitment and retention

“…A social comparisons approach addresses this underdeveloped mechanism of POS. The idea that social comparisons are made for the purposes of selfenhancement has been a tenet of social comparison theory for quite some time (e.g., Taylor and Lobel, 1989;Thornton and Arrowood, 1966;Wood et al, 1994), suggesting social comparisons may be highly salient in the POS context. Supporting this idea, Zagencyzk et al (2010: 136) suggest employees "may not feel as important" when they make unfavorable support comparisons.…”

“…Indeed, Kurtessis et al (2015: 3) suggest OST is "often mischaracterized as predominantly a social exchange theory," and that its emphasis on need fulfillment is often omitted. Because it is well-accepted that social comparisons have a strong bearing on self-enhancement (Collins, 1996;Hoorens, 1993;Wood et al, 1994), OST can be enriched by explicating the ways in which social comparisons operate with regard to POS.…”

Am I who I think you want me to be: Perceived-meta-ideals in romantic relationships

“…On the other hand, the negative self-views commonly held by LSEs continue to prevent them from being aware of positive feedback from their partner (Murray et al, 2000). It is not because of the LSEs' negative self-views that make them less likely to benefit from self-expansion, but rather that LSEs are more self-protective and only self-enhance when they see it is a low risk situation (e.g., when success is guaranteed; Wood, Giordano-Beech, Taylor, Michela, & Gaus, 1994).…”