Stephen M Garcia - Competitive Behavior
Running head: Competitive Behavior
Psychology of Competition: A Social Comparison Perspective
Stephen M. Garcia1, Avishalom Tor2, and Tyrone M. Schiff1
2
University of Michigan University of Notre Dame
1
COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR 2
Abstract
This paper proposes a new framework that distinguishes between individual and situational factors in the social comparison process that produces competitive behavior. The familiar individual factors, which naturally vary among similarly situated people, include the relevance of the performance dimension, the commensurability of rivals, and their relationship closeness to the individual. Social comparison researchers have long established that as relevance, commensurability, and closeness increase, so do social comparison concerns and competitive behavior. The more recently identified situational factors, on the other hand, are features of the social environment that affect similarly situated individuals, including proximity to a standard, social category lines, and the number of competitors. When rivals are proximate to a standard (e.g., the #1 ranking), members of different versus the same social category group, or among a few versus many competitors, social comparison concerns and competitive behavior intensify. The situational account not only uncovers an important set of variables that shape social comparison, but also offers new insights regarding the role of social comparison-based competition in organizations and other policy-relevant settings and charts fruitful directions for future social comparison research.
COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR 3 Psychology of Competition: A Social Comparison Perspective
People commonly seek to achieve a superior position vis-à-vis others in contexts ranging from daily social situations to organizational settings and market transactions (De Botton, 2004; Festinger, 1954; Frank, 1985; Podolny, 2005; Porter, 1979). The struggle for competitive advantage is
Psychology of Competition: A Social Comparison Perspective
Stephen M. Garcia1, Avishalom Tor2, and Tyrone M. Schiff1
2
University of Michigan University of Notre Dame
1
COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR 2
Abstract
This paper proposes a new framework that distinguishes between individual and situational factors in the social comparison process that produces competitive behavior. The familiar individual factors, which naturally vary among similarly situated people, include the relevance of the performance dimension, the commensurability of rivals, and their relationship closeness to the individual. Social comparison researchers have long established that as relevance, commensurability, and closeness increase, so do social comparison concerns and competitive behavior. The more recently identified situational factors, on the other hand, are features of the social environment that affect similarly situated individuals, including proximity to a standard, social category lines, and the number of competitors. When rivals are proximate to a standard (e.g., the #1 ranking), members of different versus the same social category group, or among a few versus many competitors, social comparison concerns and competitive behavior intensify. The situational account not only uncovers an important set of variables that shape social comparison, but also offers new insights regarding the role of social comparison-based competition in organizations and other policy-relevant settings and charts fruitful directions for future social comparison research.
COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR 3 Psychology of Competition: A Social Comparison Perspective
People commonly seek to achieve a superior position vis-à-vis others in contexts ranging from daily social situations to organizational settings and market transactions (De Botton, 2004; Festinger, 1954; Frank, 1985; Podolny, 2005; Porter, 1979). The struggle for competitive advantage is