What does social comparison involve?

Social comparison involves assessing individual abilities, traits, or opinions in relation to others. This process is fundamental to how people understand themselves and their place within a social context. By comparing ourselves to others, we can gain insights into our strengths and weaknesses, as well as our social standing. This comparison can be upward, when we look at someone who is better off and may inspire us to improve, or downward, when we compare ourselves to those we perceive as worse off, which can boost our self-esteem.

Evaluating oneself based on personal experiences, while important for self-reflection, does not encapsulate the relational aspect that is crucial to social comparison. Similarly, comparing one’s achievements only with former selves pertains more to personal growth rather than the comparative analysis with others. Lastly, measuring success against societal standards focuses on external benchmarks rather than direct interpersonal comparisons, which do not form the essence of social comparison processes. Therefore, the most accurate definition is the assessment of individual abilities in relation to others.