SOCIAL FACTORS

D, Social Comparison

• Hewstone et, al (2015) the work of Leon Festinger in 1954 introduce another way of understanding
oneself by comparing one’s traits, abilities or opinions to that others
• Social Comparison is a process of comparing oneself with others in order to evaluate one’s own
abilities and opinions
TWO TYPES OF COMPARISON
• Upward Social Comparison
When an individual compares himself to others who are better than him. On the negative when an individual
compare himself with someone better than him self with someone better than him he may be Experience
inferiority, envy or frustration.

• Downward Social Comparison

It happens when a person or individual compare himself who is in a worse situation than he is especially when he
is feeling so low. This may make himself feel better knowing that he is more fortunate than this person, on the
other hand, comparing oneself to a less fortunate person may give rise to feelings of superiority.
• Social Identity Theory ( Collective Identity)
It was formulated by Tajfel and Turner in 1979 which provides a framework about how people achieve
understanding about themselves by being a member of their group. This Idea assumes that as a member
of the group they will not be discriminated by out-group.

Self
The person that someone truly is or the
entire person of the individual
The total characteristics or qualities of a
person both known and unknown to
others but known to oneself
Identity
Is who a person believes she or he is,
representing a synthesis and integration
of self-understanding
The Traits and characteristics, social
relations, roles and social group
memberships that define who one is.
A way of making sense of some aspect
or part of self-concept
The chart is comparison of self and identity.
The self belongs to an individual level analysis which includes self-esteem, self-states, self-efficacy
The Identity is based on societal or cultural level analysis such as cultural concept of oneself and
cultural make up which make a person who he is.

Leary and Tangney (2012)

• Explained that identities are not the stable matters of what people expect to be, but rather are
dynamically created in the moment. Choice that feel identity-consistent in one situation may not
necessarily feel self useful. Identity is a description oof who is a person is, his roles likes and
dislikes.