The Bittersweet Taste of Success: Daily and Recalled Experiences of Being an Upward Social Comparison Target

Koch, Erika J.; Metcalfe, Kathleen P.

doi:10.1080/01973533.2010.539960

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…STTUC may result in more than negative affect; given the potential relationship concerns involved in STTUC, and the close correspondence between interpersonal rejection and state self-esteem (Leary, Tambor, Terdal, & Downs, 1995), STTUC also may temporarily lower self-esteem. Consistent with this possibility, recent empirical evidence demonstrates that STTUC-related concerns negatively correlate with state self-esteem (Koch & Metcalfe, 2011). In sum, STTUC may create both negative affect and lowered state self-esteem in outperformers.…”

Section: Effects Of Sttucmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Desire for public recognition also positively correlates with competitiveness and negatively correlates with sociotropy (i.e., excessive desire for people pleasing; Exline et al, 2004). Recent results also suggest that socially anxious individuals may demonstrate particularly strong reactions to STTUC (Koch & Metcalfe, 2011). Results involving a recently developed individual difference measure of STTUC revealed that narcissism and competitiveness positively predicted positive emotional reactions to being an outperformer, whereas sociotropy, neuroticism, and agreeableness positively predicted distress (Exline & Zell, 2012).…”

Section: Sensitivity About Being the Target Of A Threatening Upward Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“What’ve I done to deserve this?” The role of deservingness in reactions to being an upward comparison target

Koch

Totton

2016

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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Outperforming others may be an ambivalent experience, simultaneously evoking pride and discomfort. Two experiments examined the role of deservingness in reactions to being an upward comparison target. Study 1 took place online and experimentally manipulated deservingness by modifying a self-report measure of Sensitivity about Being the Target of a Threatening Upward Comparison (STTUC). Participants predicted more distress and less positive affect under conditions of undeserved (vs. deserved) success; several individual difference variables moderated these effects. Study 2 systematically varied a confederate’s effort to manipulate the perceived deservingness of an outperformed person. Participants were especially likely to downplay their score in the presence of a confederate who appeared to work hard on a task but nevertheless performed poorly. Collectively, findings suggest that people respond most strongly to STTUC when a mismatch exists between deservingness and outcomes.

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Section: Effects Of Sttucmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Sensitivity About Being the Target Of A Threatening Upward Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

“What’ve I done to deserve this?” The role of deservingness in reactions to being an upward comparison target

Koch

Totton

2016

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Self Cite

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“…Low self-esteem has also been linked with distress about outperformance in prior work (Juola- Exline, 1996;Koch & Metcalfe, 2011). Yet when compared to self-esteem and depression, sociotropy focuses more specifically on social bonds.…”

Section: Depression and Self-esteemmentioning

confidence: 93%

Who Doesn't Want to be Envied? Personality Correlates of Emotional Responses to Outperformance Scenarios

Exline

Zell

2012

Basic and Applied Social Psychology

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Individuals who outshine others may experience distress if their performance poses an interpersonal threat. A scenario-based measure, the Test of Responses to Outperforming Others (TROO), was developed to assess positive and negative responses to outperformance among undergraduates. Three studies provided preliminary validation. Studies 2 and 3 examined personality correlates. Narcissism emerged as a robust predictor of positive emotion on the TROO and anger in response to scenarios involving hostile provocation. Sociotropy consistently predicted greater distress on the TROO. Of importance, sociotropy's role could not be reduced to factors such as self-esteem, depressive symptoms, the Big Five, gender, or social desirability.

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“…The resulting concern might take the form of empathy, or it could involve guilt or anxiety about the prospect of an awkward social encounter or relationship rift (e.g., Exline & Lobel, 2001;Exline, Zell, & Lobel, in press;Parrott & Rodriguez Mosquera, 2008). The concerns and negative emotions associated with STTUC tend to correlate with one another (e.g., Exline & Lobel, 2001;Koch & Metcalfe, 2011) and can occur alongside positive emotions such as pride and satisfaction (e.g., Exline & Zell, in press).…”

Section: Sensitivity To Being the Target Of A Threatening Upward Compmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methodologies have included diary studies (Koch & Metcalfe, 2011), retrospective reports (e.g., Beach et al, 1998;Tal-Or, 2008), scenario designs (Exline & Lobel, 2001;Exline et al, 2004;Exline & Zell, in press;Tal-Or, 2008), and laboratory experiments (e.g., Exline et al, in press;Heatherington, Burns, & Gustafson, 1998;Juola-Exline, 1996;White, Sanbonmatsu, Croyle, & Smittipatana, 2002; for reviews of this literature, see Exline & Lobel, 1999;Parrott & Rodriguez Mosquera, 2008;Zell & Exline, 2009). People often take steps to avoid or minimize STTUC discomfort; for example, they may try to appease the outperformed person using tactics ranging from self-deprecating comments to generosity (e.g., Zell & Exline, 2010;see Zell & Exline, 2009, for a review).…”

Section: Sensitivity To Being the Target Of A Threatening Upward Compmentioning

confidence: 99%

People-Pleasing Through Eating: Sociotropy Predicts Greater Eating in Response to Perceived Social Pressure

Exline

Zell

Bratslavsky³

et al. 2012

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

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do people sometimes eat in order to keep others comfortable? when people outperform others, they may experience concern or distress if they believe that their performance poses an interpersonal threat (exline & lobel, 1999). two studies extend these outperformance ideas to eating situations among undergraduates. our main hypothesis focused on the role of sociotropy, which involves preoccupation with pleasing others and maintaining social harmony. Sociotropy was associated with eating more candy, but only when participants believed that a peer wanted them to eat (Study 1). under these conditions, sociotropy also predicted greater reports of trying to match the peer's eating and eating to make the peer feel comfortable (Study 1). Sociotropy also predicted more interpersonal concern and/or distress in these situations (Studies 1 and 2), which in turn predicted reports of giving in to social pressure by eating more (Study 2).

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The Bittersweet Taste of Success: Daily and Recalled Experiences of Being an Upward Social Comparison Target

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

“What’ve I done to deserve this?” The role of deservingness in reactions to being an upward comparison target

“What’ve I done to deserve this?” The role of deservingness in reactions to being an upward comparison target

Who Doesn't Want to be Envied? Personality Correlates of Emotional Responses to Outperformance Scenarios

People-Pleasing Through Eating: Sociotropy Predicts Greater Eating in Response to Perceived Social Pressure

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