Envy and Social Comparison

2019 ◽  
pp. 226-250
Author(s):  
Niels van de Ven ◽  
Marcel Zeelenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Past Work ◽  
Good Fortune ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Upward social comparison can give rise to the emotion of envy: the pain caused by the good fortune of others. This chapter explains what envy is and what the possible function of envy is to an organism experiencing it. The authors provide an overview of past work on envy, the distinction between two subtypes (benign and malicious envy), possible antecedents of envy, possible consequences of envy, and the responses to being envied by others. In each of these areas, there are clear links to research on social comparison and research on envy has greatly benefited from insights from the social comparison literature. Given the surge in research on envy in the last decade, the authors hope that the findings on envy inspires those investigating social comparisons.

Envy and Social Comparison

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels van de Ven ◽  
Marcel Zeelenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Past Work ◽  
Good Fortune ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Upward social comparison can give rise to the emotion of envy: the pain caused by the good fortune of others. We explain what envy is, and what the possible function of envy is to an organism experiencing it. We provide an overview of past work on envy, the distinction between two subtypes (benign and malicious envy), possible antecedents of envy, possible consequences of envy, and the responses to being envied by others. In each of these areas there are clear links to research on social comparison, and research on envy has greatly benefitted from insights from the social comparison literature. Given the surge in research on envy in the last decade, we hope that the findings on envy can also inspire those investigating social comparisons.

scholarly journals Does employee envy trigger the positive outcomes at workplace? A study of upward social comparison, envy and employee performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-188
Author(s):  
Muhammad Haris Khan ◽  
Ayesha Noor
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
Benign Envy ◽  
Upward Social Comparison ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Survey Questionnaires

The purpose of this research was to investigate the outcomes of envy in the workplace and the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Data was collected from 270 employees of the telecom industry. The cross-sectional research was conducted, and the data was collected through survey questionnaires from employees hailing from private Telecom companies in Pakistan. Results showed that upward social comparison initiates benign and malicious envy which, in turn, affects employee performance. Benign envy results in enhancing the employee performance whereas malicious envy shows no relationship with employee performance. By paying attention to supporting the employees, malicious envy can enhance employee performance.

scholarly journals Istraživanja procesa socijalnog uspoređivanja: Osnovni teorijski i metodološki pristup

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Ćubela
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Comparison Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Comparison Direction ◽  
Self Protection

This paper presents a review of some basic theories and empirical findings about the social comparison processes. Festinger’s theory of social comparison processes was not just the first attempt to systematically elaborate the role of these processes in self-evaluation, but remains also one of the most cited references in social comparison literature. After Festinger’s pioneering work, two basic lines in the development of this research area could be distinguished. The first line, which is based on Festinger’s basic assumption that people compare to others primarily when objective standards for self- evaluation are unavailable, is characterised by the research focus on the preference for specific directions of self-evaluative social comparisons and the relative importance in self-evaluation of social comparison and other types of comparisons, such as temporal comparisons. The second, more recent one, focused more on the consequences and the motives of social comparison, especially on the self-enhancement motive. It was established that these comparison processes are related to other motives as well (e. g. self-protection, self-improvement etc), and that, in addition to comparison direction and motives, the consequences of social comparison also depend on some other factors, such as an individual’s self-esteem level, personal control, his/her perceived closeness and similarity with comparison target, the nature of the comparison dimension etc. The last part of this paper presents an overview of the main methodological approaches in social comparison research, including some useful suggestions for the researchers with regard to some particular procedures and techniques for the assessment of social comparisons.

scholarly journals The Effect of Malicious Envy on Schadenfreude When Schadenfreude Is Elicited Through Social Comparisons

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyan Lin ◽  
Jiafeng Liang
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
The Other ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
Gain And Loss ◽  
Loss Frame ◽  
Gain Frame ◽  
Exact Amount

Previous studies have investigated whether envy, particularly malicious envy, increases feelings of schadenfreude and whether this effect is evident in both gain and loss frames. However, as a social-comparison-based emotion, schadenfreude was not investigated through social comparisons in these previous studies. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate whether malicious envy influences schadenfreude when schadenfreude is elicited in the context of precise and ambiguous social comparisons. To address this issue, participants in the present study were asked to play a monetary game with several other players. In the experimental condition, participants gained less or lost more than the other player; in the control condition, both the participants and the player gained little or lost much. Subsequently, the participants observed that the player encountered a misfortune, that is, gained less or lost more money than the participant. The results showed that when participants knew the exact amount of monetary gained and lost by themselves and the other player (i.e., precise social comparisons), malicious envy increased feelings of schadenfreude only in the loss frame rather than in the gain frame. More importantly, malicious envy turned out to reduce feelings of schadenfreude in both gain and loss frames, when participants did not know the exact amount (i.e., ambiguous social comparisons). The findings provide novel evidence that malicious envy does not always increase schadenfreude particularly when schadenfreude is elicited through social comparisons.

scholarly journals Influence of Group Identification on Malicious and Benign Envy: A Cross-Sectional Developmental Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Gaviria ◽  
Laura Quintanilla ◽  
María José Navas
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Developmental Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negative Image ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
Emotional Display ◽  
Benign Envy ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Envy is the result of a social comparison that shows us a negative image of ourselves. The present study addresses the effect of the context of group comparison and group identification on children's expression of this emotion. Through different stories, participants aged between 6 and 11 years were exposed to four contexts of upward social comparison in which they had to adopt the role of the disadvantaged character. From their emotional responses and their decisions in a resource allocation task, three response profiles were created: malicious envy, benign envy, and non-envy. Although we found important differences between verbal and behavioral responses, the results showed greater envy, both malicious and benign, when the envied was an out-group. On the other hand, when the envied belonged to the in-group and competed with a member of the out-group, malicious but not benign envy practically disappeared. With age, envious responses decreased, and non-envious responses increased. The role of social identity in the promotion and inhibition of envy is discussed, as well as the acquisition of emotional display rules in the benign envy and non-envy profiles.

scholarly journals Do Superordinate Identification and Temporal/Social Comparisons Independently Predict Citizens’ System Trust? Evidence From a 40-Nation Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Caricati ◽  
Chuma Kevin Owuamalam ◽  
Chiara Bonetti
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Positive Function ◽  
System Justification ◽  
World Value Survey ◽  
Temporal Comparison ◽  
Time Points ◽  
National Identification ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Identity Approach

Do superordinate in-group bias as well as temporal and social comparisons offer standalone explanations for system justification? We addressed this question using the latest World Value Survey (7th Wave), combining the responses of 55,721 participants from 40 different nations. Results from a random slope multilevel model showed that superordinate (national) identification, temporal comparison (i.e., the outcomes of an individual relative to those of his/her parents at different time points), and social comparison (based on income levels) were independent and positive predictors of system justification. Specifically, system justification increased when national identification was high, when income increased (i.e., the socioeconomic comparison was positive), and when the outcomes of citizens improved relative to the outcomes of their parents at relevant time points (i.e., the temporal comparison was positive). Incidentally, we also observed an interaction between national identification and temporal comparison (but not with social comparison), indicating that positive temporal comparison seemed to have a reduced effect (but still significant) for highly identified citizens. These results are supportive of the social identity approach to system justification and suggest that support for societal systems is a positive function of people’s personal and group interests.

The Contributions of Social Comparison Motives to Uncontrollable SNS Use

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunji Kim ◽  
Richard Schlicht ◽  
Marlit Schardt ◽  
Arnd Florack
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Network Platform ◽  
Favorable Light

Excessive use of social network sites (SNSs) can often lead to negative consequences of frequent upward social comparisons despite having the social network platform to present users in a favorable light. However, the existing literature gives little evidence to what type of social comparison motives can lead to excessive use of SNSs. The present study showed that the tendency to engage in social comparisons of abilities (but not of opinions) predicted self-reported uncontrollable SNS use over and above the feelings of relative deprivation on social relationships and status. Our results indicate that engaging in SNS activities to make quick and easy social comparisons rather than to gain social recourses (e.g., making more social contacts and staying in touch with desirable social groups) might be the driving factor of uncontrollable use of SNSs.

Antecedents and consequences of upward and downward social comparisons

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Foley ◽  
Hang-yue Ngo ◽  
Raymond Loi
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Entitlement ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend and test a theory of uncertainty and directional social comparisons. Prior studies have posited that uncertainty leads to increased upward and downward social comparisons. The authors ' view is that uncertainty affects upward and downward comparisons differentially. They test their theory in the Chinese workplace, and focus specifically on employees’ comparisons of career progress. Workplace consequences of social comparisons are also investigated. Design/methodology/approach – The authors achieve their objectives by collecting data from respondents in China that measure uncertainty, directional social comparisons, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. They use a longitudinal design to assess causality. Findings – This paper found that perceived organizational support, an antecedent that lowers uncertainty in the workplace, is related to upward social comparison, whereas psychological entitlement, an uncertainty-raising antecedent, is related to downward social comparison. Upward social comparison positively affected organizational commitment, whereas downward social comparison positively impacted job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – The data collection relied on self-reports and hence the findings may be adversely affected by common method bias. Another limitation involves the generalizability of results, given that the respondents were drawn from three large firms in China. Originality/value – This paper indicates that directional social comparison processes serve as an important mechanism for understanding how employees’ work attitudes are developed. It also demonstrates the applicability of social comparison theory to the study of organizational behavior in China.

scholarly journals Look Up, Look Down: Articulating Inputs and Outputs of Social Media Social Comparison

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Pluralistic Ignorance ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mood Management ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Computer-mediated social comparisons have been identified as a threat to psychological well-being. Because online friends selectively self-present, social comparisons may be biased upward, producing feelings of inadequacy. However, earlier evidence consistently confounded social comparative thoughts with causes or outcomes. A cross-sectional survey (N = 163) tested how traits, motivations, selectivity, and mood management influence computer-mediated downward and upward social comparison, and how comparison influences affect, self-esteem, and peer misperceptions. Results indicated age, social comparison orientation, mood modification, selectivity, and Facebook intensity produced social comparisons. Younger, frequent users made more upward comparisons, while mood modifiers made more downward comparisons. Comparing upward boosted negative affect, harmed self-esteem, and produced pluralistic ignorance. Downward comparisons enhanced self-esteem and reduced pluralistic ignorance about offline friends.

scholarly journals Mother to mother: Mothers’ social comparison-based emotions on social networking sites

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 602-618
Author(s):  
Leman Pinar Tosun ◽  
Ahu Öztürk ◽  
Gamze Özdemir
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
The Other ◽  
Emotion Classification ◽  
Internal Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range

Social networking sites (SNSs) are platforms where people make social comparisons very frequently, and because of those comparisons, they have the potential for evoking a wide range of emotions. According to typology of social comparison-based emotions, the emotions felt after social comparisons may vary according to the direction of comparison (upward vs. downward) as well as the internal process that triggered by those comparisons (assimilation vs. contrast). The current study aims to examine the mothers' emotions they felt after social comparisons they make with other mothers on the SNSs, and search out the usefulness of using the typology of social comparison-based emotions in examining those emotions. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted on 42 mothers between the ages of 20 and 48, who have been a member of SNSs for at least six months. Mothers responses to two open-ended questions; one is about the emotions they feel after upward comparisons, and the other is about the ones that they felt after downward comparison they made with other mothers on SNSs, were examined through thematic analyses. The results pointed out that the emotion classification offered in Smith’s theory might be useful in examining the social comparisons on SNSs made by mothers, with the addition of some new categories. Specifically, it was found that some mothers feel doubts about the credibility of information in other mothers’ posts, and some others denied they are emotionally influenced by social comparisons. Another interesting finding was that mothers reported to feel assimilative and contrastive emotions simultaneously.

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