Initial Framework
In the initial theory, Festinger hypothesized several things. First, he stated that individuals are motivated to gain accurate evaluations of themselves by examining their opinions and abilities in comparison to others. Such comparisons provide an objective benchmark against which an individual can compare themselves in relevant domains, providing a sense of validity and cognitive clarity. He hypothesized that people who are similar to an individual are especially good in generating accurate evaluations of abilities and opinions. To this, he added that the tendency to compare oneself with some other specific person decreases as the difference between their opinions and abilities become more divergent. He also hypothesized that there is an upward drive towards achieving greater abilities.
He further theorized that comparing the self with others leads to pressures of uniformity. If discrepancies arise between the evaluator and comparison group there is a tendency to reduce the divergence by either attempting to persuade others, or changing their personal views to attain uniformity. However, the importance, relevance and attraction to a comparison group that affects the original motivation for comparison, mediates the pressures towards uniformity.
Read more about this topic: Social Comparison Theory
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