Ranks and rivals: a theory of competition.
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.
Garcia
Stephen M
SM
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220, USA. smgarcia@umich.edu
Tor
Avishalom
A
Gonzalez
Richard
R
D002755:Choice Behavior; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D004328:Drive; D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012938:Social Perception