DOMINIC W. MASSARO, editor
University of California, Santa Cruz

Social Comparison Is Basic to Social Psychology

Social Comparison and Social Psychology: Understanding Cognition, Intergroup Relations, and Culture
Edited by Serge Guimond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 354 pp.Paper, $50.00; Hardback, $110.00.

Social comparison is one of the classic social psychological themes that many social psychologists like, appreciate, and respect. In fact, some argue that social comparison theory seems to be everybody's second most favorite theory. Why are most of us such fans of social comparison theory? Undoubtedly, one reason is that social comparison processes are recognizable in ourselves and others. For several attributes, achievements, or opinions, we want to know our standing relative to others, we want to have social validation, we want to think of ourselves as at least as good as others, and so on. A complementary reason is that social comparison is basic to understanding how people think, feel, act, and interact. Also, important life outcomes, such as happiness and even health, are shaped by social comparison activities. Last but not least, social comparison is relevant from various levels of analysis, including the individual level, the interpersonal level, the group level, and societal level of analysis.