Gibbons Frederick X, Lane David J, Gerrard Meg, Reis-Bergan Monica, Lautrap Carrie L, Pexa Nancy A, Blanton Hart
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA.
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2002 Oct;83(4):865-80.
Although often credited with prompting a paradigm shift in social comparison theory, T. A. Wills's (1981) downward comparison (DC) theory has received some criticism recently. In particular, several recent studies have failed to find support for T. A. Wills's (1981) contention that threat and accompanying negative affect lead to a desire for DC. These apparent failures have led some investigators to question basic principles of the theory. To resolve this controversy, 5 studies were conducted examining preferred comparison level (PCL) after performance; 4 of the studies also assessed change in this preference. Results supported DC theory, but with modifications. Specifically, individuals who performed poorly lowered their PCLs. Under some circumstances, this "downward shift" included an increased interest in "true" DC--comparing with worse-off others. A reconciliation of these results with those of previous studies is offered.
尽管T. A. 威尔斯（1981）的向下比较（DC）理论常被认为促使了社会比较理论的范式转变，但该理论最近受到了一些批评。特别是，最近的几项研究未能找到支持T. A. 威尔斯（1981）的观点的证据，即威胁和随之而来的负面影响会导致对向下比较的渴望。这些明显的失败导致一些研究者质疑该理论的基本原则。为了解决这一争议，进行了5项研究，考察了绩效后的偏好比较水平（PCL）；其中4项研究还评估了这种偏好的变化。结果支持了向下比较理论，但有所修正。具体而言，表现不佳的个体降低了他们的偏好比较水平。在某些情况下，这种“向下转变”包括对“真正的”向下比较（与处境更差的他人进行比较）的兴趣增加。本文对这些结果与先前研究的结果进行了调和。
