Don’t be average: distinguishing benign social comparisons from mastery goals and harsh social comparisons

This thesis explores the concept of benign social comparisons within the framework of achievement goal theory (Dweck, 1986) and their impact on motivational factors including perceived competence, psychological pressure, usefulness, and enjoyment, alongside behavioral measures such as effort and performance. Benign social comparisons, an unexplored area, propose an alternative approach where individuals aim to perform at an average level rather than striving to surpass (any) other, as traditionally implied through performance-approach goals. The study consists of two experiments involving computerized tangram puzzles. The first study investigated whether benign social comparison differed from harsh social comparisons (traditional performance goal approach) and mastery goals in relation to motivational and behavioral outcomes. The results revealed that participants reported higher perceived competence and usefulness in the mastery goal condition compared to the benign social comparison condition. Additionally, participants in the harsh social comparison condition reported greater usefulness compared to those in the benign social comparison condition. The second study examined whether feedback would moderate the effects of social comparisons versus mastery goals. Although the results revealed no main effects of feedback, an interaction effect between conditions and feedback was found regarding usefulness. Participants reported greater usefulness in the mastery goal condition than in the benign social comparison condition when positive feedback was provided. Additionally, participants reported experiencing less psychological pressure, perceiving greater usefulness, and investing more effort in mastery goals compared to benign social comparisons. These findings underscore the non-adaptive nature of benign social comparisons compared to mastery goals, contradicting initial hypotheses. Surprisingly, benign comparisons may be even more detrimental than harsh social comparisons. However, these findings underscore the need for additional research in this field.