Downward Comparison and Coping with Threat

People engage in social comparison for one reason, and that is to gain information. While that motive remains constant, the desire to obtain information as well as the type of information that is sought vary considerably depending on the person and the circumstances in which the comparison occurs. Certain types of situations or circumstances are much more likely than others to prompt an interest in obtaining useful information. When there is some ambiguity concerning a person's current status the motivation to seek out others for purposes of comparison will typically increase (Festinger, 1954; Schachter & Singer, 1962). The same is true when the person is facing some kind of problem or threat (Schachter, 1959). The current chapter concerns those types of situations and circumstances. More specifically, we will be examining how people use social comparison to help them cope with a variety of different kinds of threats.