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- Title
Ranks and Rivals: A Theory of Competition.
- Authors
Garcia, Stephen M.; Tor, Avishalom; Gonzalez, Richard
- Abstract
Social comparison theories typically imply a comparable degree of competition between commensurate rivals who are competing on a mutually important dimension. However, the present analysis reveals that the degree of competition between such rivals depends on their proximity to a meaningful standard. Studies 1 to 3 test the prediction that individuals become more competitive and less willing to maximize profitable joint gains when they and their commensurate rivals are highly ranked (e.g, #2 vs. #3) than when they are not (e.g. #202 vs. #203). Studies 4 to 6 then generalize these findings, showing that the degree of competition also increases in the proximity of other meaningful standards, such as the bottom of a ranking scale or a qualitative threshold in the middle of a scale. Studies 7 and 8 further examine the psychological processes underlying this phenomenon and reveal that proximity to a standard exerts a direct impact on the basic unidirectional drive upward, beyond the established effects of commensurability and dimension relevance.
- Subjects
SOCIAL comparison; COMPETITION (Psychology); HUMAN behavior; DECISION making; SOCIAL capital; SELF-evaluation; INTERPERSONAL relations; SOCIAL psychology; RESEARCH
- Publication
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 2006, Vol 32, Issue 7, p970
- ISSN
0146-1672
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/0146167206287640