CampusDownWiki CampusDown ↗
English

Social Comparison Theory

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: social comparison theory says that when no objective standard is available, people judge their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves with others.
Contents
  1. 1. Festinger's hypotheses
  2. 2. Direction of comparison
  3. 3. Schadenfreude and social media
  4. 4. References

Festinger's hypotheses

Leon Festinger, also known for cognitive dissonance theory, proposed in 1954 that people have a drive to evaluate themselves accurately and, lacking objective standards, compare themselves with others, usually similar others (the similarity hypothesis).

Direction of comparison

  • Upward comparison with people who are better off can motivate and inspire but can also breed inferiority and envy.
  • Downward comparison with people who are worse off; Wills (1981) argued that threatened people use it to protect self-esteem.

Schadenfreude and social media

Pleasure at the misfortune of a superior other, schadenfreude, is tied to comparison; Richard Smith's The Joy of Pain explains it as a response to inferiority and envy. Many studies link constant upward comparison with curated social-media lives to lower self-esteem and depressive mood.

References

  1. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.
  2. Wills, T. A. (1981). Downward comparison principles in social psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 90(2), 245-271.
  3. Smith, R. H. (2013). The Joy of Pain: Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature. Oxford University Press.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '사회적 비교 이론' on CampusDown →
Cognitive Dissonance TheoryFestinger's cognitive dissonance theory explained: definition, dissonance reduction, the $1/$20 experiment, effort justification, free choice, criticisms, and report examples.🧠 PsychologyMaslow's Hierarchy of NeedsMaslow's hierarchy of needs explained: definition, the five levels, deficiency vs. growth needs, the pyramid myth, empirical criticisms and limitations, report examples for social work, nursing and business, and references.🧠 PsychologyErikson's Psychosocial Development TheoryErikson's eight psychosocial stages explained: crises and virtues from trust vs. mistrust to integrity vs. despair, identity, comparison with Freud, criticisms, and report examples.🧠 PsychologyFreud's Psychoanalytic TheoryFreud's psychoanalytic theory explained: definition, the conscious, preconscious and unconscious, the id, ego and superego, psychosexual stages from oral to genital, defense mechanisms, criticisms such as falsifiability, report examples and references.🧠 Psychology

You may also like

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)Brown v. Board of Education (1954) summary: the case, Chief Justice Warren's unanimous ruling, why 'separate but equal' fell, and what happened after.⚖️ LawIntestate SuccessionWho inherits when someone dies without a will: how U.S. intestacy statutes rank spouses, children and other relatives, how per stirpes works, and how Korea's Civil Act sets heirs, shares and representation.⚖️ LawThe Rule of LawWhat is the rule of law? Its meaning and history from Magna Carta to United States v. Nixon, Dicey and Fuller's principles, and how it differs from rule by law.⚖️ LawCommon Law vs. Civil LawCommon law vs. civil law: how the two legal families differ on sources of law, precedent, trials and judges, and where Korea's mixed system fits between them.⚖️ Law

This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.