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Related Concept Videos

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison01:27

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Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...
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Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model01:29

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The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
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Self-esteem, a central component of psychological well-being, is actively maintained through various cognitive and behavioral strategies. Individuals employ specific mechanisms to preserve a positive self-concept and mitigate threats to their self-worth, particularly in contexts involving social evaluation or personal feedback. Four primary techniques are commonly used to sustain self-esteem.Manipulating AppraisalsOne prominent strategy involves manipulating appraisals from others. Individuals...
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According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
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Self-evaluation is the process by which individuals assess their abilities, behaviors, and characteristics based on feedback from others. Charles H. Cooley observed that a person’s self-perception is primarily influenced by how others see and judge them. He suggested that individuals form their identities based on their interpretations of others' reactions. As a result, social interactions play a crucial role in shaping self-esteem and personal identity. These external evaluations often...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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Does Comparing with Generative Artificial Intelligence Harm Self-Esteem? Testing a Model Linking Social Comparison

Yangkun Huang1, Yuan Gao2, Xucheng Cao3

  • 1School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|November 14, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Comparing ourselves to generative artificial intelligence (GAI) can boost self-esteem, but ability-based comparisons may increase identity threat. Human-first beliefs can buffer these negative effects, offering insights into human-AI relationships.

Keywords:
generative artificial intelligencehuman–machine relationshiprejection-identification modelself-esteemsocial comparison orientation

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Artificial Intelligence Ethics

Background:

  • Interpersonal social comparison is well-researched, but human-machine comparison, particularly with generative artificial intelligence (GAI), is understudied.
  • Understanding self-perception in relation to AI is crucial as human-AI interactions become more prevalent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how individuals engage in social comparison with GAI.
  • To extend the concept of social comparison orientation to human-GAI interactions.
  • To examine the influence of human-GAI comparison on self-esteem, identity threat, anthropocentric beliefs, and personal relative deprivation.

Main Methods:

  • Survey research with a large Chinese sample (N = 1302).
  • Examined two subtypes of human-GAI comparison orientation: ability-based and opinion-based.
  • Utilized the Rejection-Identification Model framework.

Main Results:

  • Both ability-based and opinion-based comparisons with GAI positively correlated with self-esteem.
  • Ability-based comparisons heightened perceived identity threat, while opinion-based comparisons alleviated it.
  • Anthropocentric beliefs (human-first attitudes) mitigated the negative impact of identity threat on self-esteem, mediated by personal relative deprivation.

Conclusions:

  • Human-GAI comparison has unique psychological consequences distinct from interpersonal comparisons.
  • Findings expand classical self and identity theories to the human-AI domain.
  • Results inform psychological interventions for managing adverse effects in human-machine relationships.