Comparison with other people, a core element of social life, influences self-concept, attitudes, conformity, psychological and physical well-being, achievement, educational outcomes, and social movements. Social comparison has become particularly salient as social and income inequalities have been increasingly recognized in the United States and elsewhere globally.This volume presents classic and state-of-the-science chapters by leading experts that survey the major areas of social comparison theory and research. Authored by noted experts, the volume is divided into three sections: Basic Comparison Processes, Neighboring Fields, and Applications. The first section is comprised of chapters that update classic theories and present contemporary advances, such as the dominating effect of local versus global comparisons, an analysis of the psychology of competition, how comparisons across different domains influence self-concept and achievement, and the integral connections between stereotyping and comparison. The second section introduces perspectives from related fields, such as the decision and network sciences, that shed new light on social comparison. The third section focuses on practical applications of comparison, including relative deprivation, health psychology, the effects of income inequality on well-being, and the relationship of power to comparison. This volume is a must-read for anyone interested in the field of social comparison and its implications for everyday life.

Section I Basic ProcessesChapter 1. A History of Social ComparisonLadd Wheeler and Jerry SulsChapter 2. How Social Comparison Affects the Self: The Selective Accessibility MechanismThomas MussweilerChapter 3. Looking Up and Ahead: The Social Comparison of Abilities, Personal Attributes and OpinionsJerry Suls and Ladd WheelerChapter 4. Individual Differences in Social Comparison: The Complex Effects of Social Comparison OrientationA.P. Buunk, F.X. Gibbons, Pieternel Dijkstra, and Zlatan KrizanChapter 5. Social Comparison Before, During, and After the CompetitionStephen M. Garcia, Zachary A. Reese, and Avishalom TorChapter 6. Effects of local and global comparisons on self-assessmentEthan Zell and Mark AlickeChapter 7. Agency and Communion in Social ComparisonKenneth D. LockeChapter 8. Dimensional Comparison Theory: Extending the Internal/External Frame of Reference ModelFriederike Helm, Herbert W. Marsh, Theresa Dicke, and Jens M?llerChapter 9. Envy and Social Comparison EnvyNiels van de Ven and Marcel ZeelenbergChapter 10. Stereotypes and Relative Social Status in Social ComparisonsJillian K. Swencionis and Susan T. FiskeChapter 11. Perils of Outperforming OthersAnne Zell, Julie Exline, and Marci LobelChapter 12. Temporal Comparisons in a Social WorldAnne E. Wilson and Erin ShanahanSection II Neighboring FieldsChapter 13. Local comparisons and general standards: Implications forSuperiority and Inferiority BiasesYechiel KlarChapter 14. Comparing One and Many: Insights from Judgment and Decision Making for Social ComparisonEleanor Putnam-Farr and Carey K. MorewedgeChapter 15. Approaches to Comparison and Their Influence on Social ComparisonArthur MarkmanChapter 16. How Social Networks Can Inform Social ComparisonJingwen Zhang and Damon CentolaChapter 17. The Evolutionary Roots of Social ComparisonsMarcela E. Ben?tez and Sarah F. BrosnanSection III ApplicationsSection 18. Relative Deprivation Theory: Advances and ApplicationsHeather J. Smith, Thomas F. Pettigrew, and Yuen J. HuoChapter 19. Health Cognitions, Decision Making, and Behavior: The Ubiquity of Social ComparisonWilliam M.P. Klein and Elise RiceChapter 20. Social Dominance Theory and ComparisonRobin Bergh, Gregory Davis, Sa-Kiera Hudson, and Jim SidaniusChapter 21. Myopia of the Masses: Relative Deprivation, Comparative Scope, and System JustificationRuthie Pliskin, Daniel Yudkin, John T. Jost, and Yaacov TropeChapter 22. Income Inequality and Well-being: The Role of Social ComparisonFelix Cheung and Richard E. Lucas