Frequent social comparison and emotional maladjustment among students

Abstract

Results of pilot study based on integration of social and clinical psychology are pre¬sented in the article. Hypothesis on correlation between social comparison orienta¬tion and emotional maladjustment among students has been tested. Social comparison orientation along with symptoms of depression, anxiety, worry, social distress, envy, jealousy and everyday stress were measured in the sample of 122 universities students. All indicators of emotional maladjustment enrolled into analysis were higher in the subgroup of students prone to frequent social comparisons. The severity of symptoms among these "comparers" is compatible with analogue indices, reg¬istered among patients with affective spectrum disorder. The strongest correlations revealed between social comparison orientations and worry symptoms.

Keywords

• social comparison orientation
• depression
• anxiety
• worry
• envy
• jealousy