The DOI matches its Crossref record; 92 of the 93 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
For better or worse: The impact of upward social comparison on self-evaluations
Abstract
Upward social comparison is generally regarded as ego deflating, yet people often compare themselves with those whose abilities and attributes are better than their own. Upward comparison provides useful information, which may partially account for this behavior. Furthermore, it is proposed that upw
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In the citing paper
“Upward social comparison occurs when people compare themselves to those who are better off and although it often triggers negative self-evaluation, resentment, and envy, it can also be motivating and self-enhancing (Collins, 1996).”
From Relative Feedback Increases Disparities in Effort and Performance in Crowdsourcing Contests: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment on Topcoder (2022) · cites this paper as Collins, 1996
In the citing paper
“Assimilative efforts, on the other side, involve the contrast of a bad present with an attainable positive future and may be enhanced by motivating upward comparisons (see also Carver & Scheier, 1998;Collins, 1996;Wood, 1996;Wrosch & Heckhausen, 1996).”
From The Life-Course Dynamics of Goal Pursuit and Goal Adjustment: A Two-Process Framework (2002) · cites this paper as Collins, 1996
Citations
Cites
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Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.2.193 · Cited by 7,814
The Social Self: On Being the Same and Different at the Same Time
Brewer, M. B. (1991) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167291175001 · Cited by 5,107
Downward comparison principles in social psychology
Wills, T. A. (1981) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.90.2.245 · Cited by 2,705
Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies.
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Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem.
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Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes
Wood, J. V. (1989) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.106.2.231 · Cited by 1,957
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lockwood, P., Jordan, C. H., & Kunda, Z. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.854 · Cited by 1,749
“Previous research on this topic has focused largely on the impact of comparisons on mood and on self-esteem (cf. Collins, 1996; Wood, 1989); motivational outcomes have not typically been assessed, perhaps because most relevant research has examined the impact of one-shot comparison experiences in…”
BackgroundSuperstars and me: Predicting the impact of role models on the self.
Lockwood, P., & Kunda, Z. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.91 · Cited by 1,597
“Several theorists have struggled with the question of what determines whether and how people's selfviews are affected by outstanding individuals (e.g., Brickman & Bulman, 1977; Collins, 1996; Taylor & Lobel, 1989; Tesser, 1991; Wood, 1989).”
BackgroundInfluentialComparison processes in social judgment: Mechanisms and consequences.
Mussweiler, T. (2003) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.110.3.472 · Cited by 1,345
“Outside of this domain, there appears to be a strong tendency to focus on similarities. the comparison process (Lockwood & Kunda, 1997; Miyake & Zuckerman, 1993; Nosanchuk & Erickson, 1985; see also R. L. Collins, 1996).”
BackgroundMalär, L., Krohmer, H., Hoyer, W. D., & Nyffenegger, B. (2011) · Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1509/jmkg.75.4.35 · Cited by 1,466
“Such emotions can be painful and even devastating for the consumer, such that he or she wants to distance himself or herself from the other (superior) person (Collins 1996).”
BackgroundSedikides, C., & Strube, M. (1997) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60018-0 · Cited by 1,085
Metadata
- Authors
- Collins, R. L.
- Affiliations
- RAND Corporation (US)
- Corresponding author
- Collins, Rebecca L.
- ORCID
- Collins, Rebecca L.
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 1996-01
- Volume
- 119
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 51-69
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W2165368401
- Cited by
- 1,166
- References
- 93
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 95 · 2022: 74 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 50 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 20.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- upward social comparison, self-assessment, self-concept, social comparison theory
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