L33 Psych 315 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Social Comparison Theory
Document Summary
Liking those who make us feel good -- a hedonic model. Liking those who can give us a good deal -- social exchange model: mere exposure effect. Tendency to like things we are familiar with. Relationships can form merely through repeated exposure to others -- proximity is. Festinger, schachler and back (1950) prominent: observed new students in a university dorm, proximity was one of the strongest predictors of eventual friendship, similarity effects. Tendency for people to like others more similar to themselves. Similarity may provide and assurance of relatability. Numerous studies found that similarity may be the strongest predictor of friendship: similarities in personality, attitudes, values, and beliefs, also includes age, gender, ses, attractiveness, sexual orientation. Communal orientation -- mutual concern for the other person: not concerned with a discrepancy between the two people involved, care more about the overall quality of the friendship and fulfilling the needs of the other person.
