| Over the decades since Leon Festinger (1954) first introduced social comparison theory, much of the research on the topic has focused on the notion that people engage in social comparison in part as a means to enhance the self. Early evidence on this topic suggested that downward comparisons (i.e., comparisons to individuals who are worse-off than oneself) would enhance the self and lead people to feel better about themselves. Given this finding, many researchers assumed that upward comparisons (i.e., comparisons to individuals who are better-off than oneself) would result in the opposite effect. However, that strict dichotomy has since faded, and researchers have attempted to explore the conditions under which upward comparisons can serve quite another function.;Lockwood and Kunda (1997) proposed that upward social comparison can enhance the self when one believes that he or she could attain comparable success to that better-off target. In two studies, those authors found that more attainable targets led to greater feelings of inspiration and boosted rather than damaged self-views. Despite the considerable popularity of this research (cited over 550 times), significant questions remain about target attainability and how it influences upward social comparisons.;Seven studies reported here were designed to explore the role of perceived attainability of the target's success in upward social comparison. Specifically, the present work was intended to link perceived attainability to broader theoretical perspectives about how upward social comparisons enhance the self. Also, the studies examined the extent to which certain situational factors and chronic individual differences predict judgments of attainability and whether the effects of those judgments reach beyond specific self-evaluations to more global, though temporary, feelings about the self.;Across all seven studies, participants were asked to read an article about an exceptional student who had recently received a notable scholarship. Next, participants completed a number of questionnaire items, including trait ratings of the student and of themselves, as well as measurements of perceived attainability of the student's success, perceived similarity to the student, and state self-esteem. Results indicated that perceived similarity drives the effects of perceived attainability, such that more attainable targets facilitate viewing oneself as similar to the target, which leads people to assimilate towards the target in their self-views and then feel better about themselves post-comparison. Both similarity to and subjective identification with the target, however, appear to have more direct effects on self-views and state self-esteem that do not require the influence of perceived attainability. Furthermore, numerous personality variables (e.g., optimism, self-efficacy, self-esteem, promotion focus, approach goals) predict whether people view a target's success as attainable. Overall, the research speaks to the possible preeminence of perceived attainability in upward social comparison and highlights the influence that attainability judgments have on people's affective lives. |
