Social Comparison Theory
Ever gone a day without evaluating yourself against others?
Have you ever had a day without comparing yourself to others?
In fact, we are naturally inclined to compare things, and it even plays a role in how we learn. In this context, the concept of oppositional learning in psychology is defined as a learning strategy that recognizes that people can learn a concept better when they bring it together with opposing concepts, that is, by seeing it differently.
So are these comparisons always useful to us?
All of us, even if unconsciously, compare ourselves to others at some point during the day. We occasionally forget how unique each of our paths is when we compare our accomplishments, our physical attributes, and the course of our lives. Going too far in this comparison issue pushes the individual into a deep hole, as it does in every situation, making him lose sight of his worth and eventually feel inadequate.
The Social Comparison Theory, which was created by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954, states that people base their own social and personal values on those of other people.
There are 2 types of social comparison, upward and downward. According to upward comparison, a person compares himself with people who he thinks are better than him in any subject. Although there is an opinion that the positive effect of this situation is inspiration, and hope, and therefore these feelings will take the person further, I believe that this effect mostly has a short and instantaneous effect on people.
This is why I believe that the negative effect of upward comparison—that is, the feeling of inadequacy—dominates in many people, as inspiration on its own cannot accomplish much on its own if it is weak. A healthy person should stay away from comparisons and focus on himself, not to put himself in the same position as others, but to see himself in a good place. Conversely, downward comparison—that is, comparing oneself to someone who is beneath oneself—causes unpleasant feelings like scorn, which arises when a person is unable to control themselves, as well as nice emotions like thankfulness.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/social-comparison-theory