Social comparison processes in the experience of personal relative deprivation

Abstract

Drawing on social comparison and equity theories, we investigated the role that perceived similarity of a comparison target plays in how resentful people feel about their relative financial status. In Study 1, participants tended to choose a comparison target who was better off, and they selected a target they perceived to be more similar than dissimilar along dimensions that surrounded their financial outcomes. In Study 1, perceived relative disadvantage was positively associated with resentment regardless of the perceived similarity of the comparison target. The results of Studies 2 to 5b clarified these findings by showing that being both similar and dissimilar to a target can cause resentment depending on the context. Using hypothetical and real social comparisons, we found that people are more dissatisfied with their financial outcomes when their comparative targets have the same background qualifications (i.e., are similar) but are financially better off (Studies 2, 3b, 4, and 5b). However, we also found that when the comparative financial contexts were similar (i.e., equal affluence), participants were more dissatisfied when their target for comparison had lower qualifications (i.e., was dissimilar; Studies 2, 3a, 4, and 5a). In all cases, perceptions of unfairness mediated the effects of social comparison on financial dissatisfaction. Taken together, these studies address some of the ambiguities around what it means to be similar to a target in the context of social comparisons of affluence, and they underscore the importance of perceived unfairness in the link between social comparison and resentment with one's financial status.

Personal Relative Deprivation and Mental Health Among University Students: Cross‐sectional and Longitudinal Evidence

“…Students from these backgrounds can feel alienated and disconnected from the university (Davis, 2010; Lee & Barnes, 2015; Scheffler et al., 2018). Just as income differences could highlight differences and disadvantages, students from ethnic minority backgrounds or who are the first to attend college in their family also might notice the differences and disadvantages that create PRD (Kim, Callan, Gheorghiu, & Skylark, 2018). Therefore, in an exploratory analysis, we examine whether first‐generation college student status and minority ethnic background predict PRD.…”

Personal Relative Deprivation and Mental Health Among University Students: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence

“…Students from these backgrounds can feel alienated and disconnected from the university (Davis, 2010;Lee & Barnes, 2015;Scheffler et al, 2018). Just as income differences could highlight differences and disadvantages, students from ethnic minority backgrounds or who are the first to attend college in their family also might notice the differences and disadvantages that create PRD (Kim, Callan, Gheorghiu, & Skylark, 2018). Therefore, in an exploratory analysis we examine whether first generation college student status and minority ethnic background predict PRD.…”

Too Good to be Liked? When and How Prosocial Others are Disliked

“…In this regard, prior research provides many examples of negative responses toward those who are more attractive, who perform better, or who possess more: When confronted with superior others, individuals tend to grudge them their success and deny them their attractiveness, feel resentment, and envy, express gloating if they fail, show unwillingness to befriend and interact with them, and dislike them (e.g., Krebs and Adinolfi, 1975 ; Crosby, 1976 ; Bernstein and Crosby, 1980 ; Bers and Rodin, 1984 ; Salovey and Rodin, 1984 ; Olson and Hazlewood, 1986 ; Smith et al, 1996 ; Feather and Sherman, 2002 ; Agthe et al, 2011 ; Crusius and Mussweiler, 2012 ; Kim et al, 2018 ; Hartwich and Becker, 2019 ; Crusius et al, 2020 ).…”