Abstract
[Excerpt] The origins of social comparison theory (SCT) can be traced back to Festinger (1954)'s work. The theory proposes that “there is a drive within individuals to look to outside images to evaluate their own opinions and abilities (Festinger 1954, p. 16). That is, the theory argues that individuals evaluate their personal desires and opinions by comparing themselves to others. Such comparisons might derive from a variety of motives, including self-evaluation, self-improvement, and self-enhancement (Martin and Kennedy 1993). Importantly, individuals differ in their propensity to engage in social comparisons; a notion that is captured by their social comparison orientation (Gibbons and Buunk 1999; Vogel et al. 2015).