This dissertation examines the relationship between two social psychological theories: Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954) and Construal Level Theory (Liberman & Trope, 1998). More specifically, this research assesses how a person's level of mental abstraction (i.e., construal level) might influence the way social comparison information from individuals or aggregates is used to form self-evaluations. Typically, comparison information from individuals (versus information about aggregates) is given disproportionate weight when forming self-evaluations; in other words, there is a "local" (i.e., individual) dominance effect in the utilization of social comparison information (e.g., Zell & Alicke, 2010). It is predicted that with greater mental abstraction (i.e., higher construal level), this tendency will be reversed, and instead comparison information from aggregates will be relied upon more when evaluating the self. In other words, abstract mindsets (versus concrete mindsets) should result in a "global" (i.e., aggregate) dominance effect in the weighting of social comparison information. Six studies examine the influence of construal level on the use of aggregate versus individual social comparison information. Two pilot studies provide initial evidence that abstract mindsets lead to a global dominance effect. The generalizability of these effects is tested by providing comparison feedback on different tasks (Study 1 and Study 4), testing the influence of different construal mindset manipulations (Study 2), as well as manipulating the psychological distance (an antecedent of construal level; e.g., Trope and Liberman, 2003) of social comparison targets (Studies 3 - 4). Additionally, the relative weighting of individual versus aggregate comparison targets is directly tested by comparing self-evaluations with only aggregate comparison information, and with both aggregate and individual comparison information (Study 2 and Study 4). Results across all studies indicate that while social comparisons with better off or worse off targets typically result in robust effects, evidence of local dominance and effects of construal manipulations are much more subtle. Theoretical implications for Social Comparison Theory and Construal Level Theory and practical implications are discussed.

The current study was an investigation of the self-schema and social comparison theories of the development of body dissatisfaction. Social comparison stimuli, consisting of photographs of women, were piloted and selected to form 3 stimuli sets: upward comparison, downward comparison, and no comparison. A priming manipulation consisting of an imagery exercise intended to prime participants appearance self-schema was also piloted. Participants completed state measures of body image and mood at pretest, were given the priming manipulation and the social comparison stimuli, then completed posttest measures of mood and body image, as well as providing demographic information. Results indicated no significant interaction between priming and social comparison and no significant main effect for priming. However, there was a significant effect of social comparison, such that those in the downward comparison condition showed decreased body dissatisfaction and negative mood. Results are discussed in the context of self-schema theory and social comparison, and suggestions are given for future research that might further shed light on these topics.

Avund bland anställda är en negativ emotion som drivs av att anställda jämför sina kvaliteter och prestationer med varandra. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om känslor av avund, såväl att avundas som att bli avundad, är associerade med uppfattningar om psykosociala faktorer på kvinnodominerade arbetsplatser. Undersökningens deltagare bestod av 127 kvinnor inom vårdsektorn i Mellansverige. Deltagarnas uppfattningar om psykosociala faktorer i arbetslivet mättes med mätinstrumentet QPSnordic. Deltagarna fick även besvara åtta påståenden ur Workplace envy som mäter två dimensioner av avund. Studiens resultat visade att flera faktorer i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön är associerade med avund. Att vara avundad på arbetet kan höja arbetstillfredsställelsen medan att avundas en kollega kan minska motivationen och sänka skickligheten att utföra sitt arbete, då relationer kan påverkas negativt.

The relationship between exposure to media images of ultra-thin models and body dissatisfaction has been documented in numerous correlational and experimental studies. Given the association between body dissatisfaction and negative outcomes such as eating disorders, prevention and intervention programs have sought to minimize the effects of the media on body dissatisfaction by, for example, providing education on the air-brushing techniques used to enhance the thinness of models depicted in advertisements. More recent efforts in Britain and France include the proposal of legislation that would require advertisements featuring hyper-thin models to include a disclaimer. To determine whether the inclusion of a disclaimer versus a warning message would decrease the effects of exposure to such magazine advertisements on body dissatisfaction and intent to diet, female undergraduate students (N = 283) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) disclaimer, (2) warning, (3) model control, (4) car control. Those in the experimental groups were exposed to advertisements edited to include either a disclaimer (i.e., "Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person's physical appearance.") or warning (i.e., "Warning: Trying to look as thin as this model may be dangerous to your health."); those in the model control group were exposed to the original, untouched advertisements, and those in the car control group viewed car advertisements. Results revealed a significant, but unexpected, effect of group on post-exposure body dissatisfaction. The car control group reported significantly lower post-exposure body dissatisfaction than the disclaimer, warning, and model control groups. The effects of exposure to magazine advertisements on intent to diet did not differ by group. Potential moderating roles of trait body dissatisfaction, physical appearance comparison, and internalization of the thin-ideal are examined. Implications, limitations, and future research ideas are discussed.

This thesis aims to investigate the relationships between vanity, social comparison and purchase behaviour. Specifically, this thesis defines and develops a conceptual model that expands on these relationships where vanity and social comparison act as antecedents to consumers’ self-esteem and product evaluation which in turn gives rise to purchase behaviour for luxury fashion products. Using this model, the research examines how manipulations of social comparison and vanity are reflected in these relationships and the resulting impact on purchase behaviour. To empirically test this model, an online experiment using a 3x2 between-subjects factorial design was conducted, where respondents were exposed to modified print advertisements for luxury branded sunglasses. A total of 297 responses were collected from a pool of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk workers, which were analysed using multiple regression, factorial ANCOVA and path analysis to assess the hypothesised relationships. The results indicate that vanity appeals were indeed responsible for the way in which the product was evaluated which positively translated into purchase consideration. However, though social comparison was proven to negatively impact on self-esteem, this change in self-esteem was not significant in determining purchase behaviour. Additionally, social anxiety and public self-consciousness were found to be antecedents to the modelled relationships. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings, along with suggested directions for future research, are discussed.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka samt förstå hur ungdomar i 15-årsåldern diskuterar och formulerar sina uppfattningar om sig själva och den egna kroppen vid bildexponering som sker i sociala medier. Syftet är även att förstå hur ungdomarna diskuterar konstruktionen i relation till begreppen norm, symbolisk interaktionism, självreflexivitet och självkänsla. Vi vill även undersöka om det föreligger könsskillnader vad gäller reaktionsmönstret vid exponeringen.  I studien medverkar 23 ungdomar, varav 12 flickor och 11 pojkar. För att besvara syftet användes kvalitativ metod bestående av tre stycken strukturerade fokusgrupper som vardera varade en timme. Tolkningsramen som användes för att analysera det empiriska materialet var de socialpsykologiska begreppen media, norm, symbolisk interaktionism och självreflexivitet samt det psykologiska begreppet självkänsla. Studiens resultat visar att medelvärdet för internetanvändande bland ungdomarna är 2,95 timmar per dag och mest förekommande medieformerna är Facebook och Instagram. Resultatet visar vidare att ungdomarna förhåller sig kritiska till bilder som exponeras via media. Pojkarna upplever sig inte påverkas tanke- eller känslomässigt och känner sig överlag nöjda med sig själva efter exponeringen vilket förstås med att pojkarna inte identifierar sig med bilden och anser att bilderna inte signalerar en norm värd att efterfölja. Flickorna däremot påverkas av bildexponeringen och vill se ut som på bilden och identifierar sig med bilden vilket resulterar i känslor av avundsjuka uppkommer. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how 15 year olds discuss and form a perception of themselves and their bodies through the influence of social media. The study is also aimed to examine how teenagers discuss such core-concepts as norm, symbolic interactionism, self-reflection and self-esteem as well as explore any gender-related differences in their attitudes. The study involves a total of 23 youngsters; 12 females and 11 males.  The study is based on a qualitative method and three thoroughly structured group-discussions of one hour each. The empiric material, which has been gathered through the process, was analyzed through social-psychological terms as media, norm, symbolic interactionism and self-reflection as well as the psychological concept of self-esteem. This study shows that the average usage of the Internet amongst interviewed teenagers is 2,95 hours per day making Facebook and Instagram the most popular forms of social media. The conclusion also demonstrates that, although the adolescent generally remain critical towards the medial influence, some gender-related differences do exist. It is further shown that boy subjects consider themselves to be less affected on intellectual and emotional level making them feel satisfied about themselves after exposure to media. This can be explained by the fact that boys don’t identify themselves to the images and usually don’t believe that the images reflect a norm which is worth following. Girls, on the other hand, are normally affected in a larger extension than the opposite sex inducting feelings of envy and jealousy.

Abstract Författare: Liselott Holst Titel: Studie- och yrkesvägledares yrkesidentiteter- En intervjustudie med några verksamma studie- och yrkesvägledare på grund- och gymnasieskolan Masteruppsats: 91 – 120 hp Handledare: Niklas Gustafson Pedagogiska Institutionen   Bakgrunden till denna uppsats är att det riktats en hel del kritik mot skolans studie- och yrkesvägledning av bl.a. Skolverket. Ur dessa rapporter framkom bl.a. kritik mot att det idag finns stora skillnader i kvalitet mellan olika kommuner och olika skolor när det gäller skolornas studie- och yrkesvägledning. En förklaring till dessa kvalitetsskillnader är att det enligt skollagen finns en stor frihet för den enskilda skolan att själv bestämma över innehållet och organiseringen av skolans studie- och yrkesvägledning. Tydligare riktlinjer för hur skolans studie- och yrkesvägledning ska bedrivas har därför framförts. Uppsatsens syfte är att studera hur några verksamma studie- och yrkesvägledare inom grund- och gymnasieskolan talar om sig själva och sitt yrke i relation till den egna arbetsplatsen. Min teoretiska utgångspunkt är diskursanalys och social jämförelseteori och jag har använt mig av kvalitativa intervjuer med hjälp av en intervjuguide. Ur resultatet av det empiriska materialet har jag kunnat identifiera en diskursordning för vägledare på grund- och gymnasieskolan. Inom denna diskursordning finns olika åsikter bland respondenterna i studien bl.a. när det gäller arbetsuppgifter som ligger utanför vägledarens egentliga yrkeskompetens. Diskursen om ”mångsyssleri” är den mest framträdande diskursen i denna studie. Ett annat intressant resultat är att personligheten är viktigare än yrkesgrupp när det gällde frågor om samarbete och känsla av tillhörighet med andra yrkesgrupper på den egna arbetsplatsen. I intervjuerna framkom också att det finns ett önskemål bland några av respondenterna om ökad reglering och tydligare riktlinjer för skolans studie- och yrkesvägledning medan andra värdesätter ett större handlingsutrymme för den egna verksamheten. / Author : Liselott Holst Title: professional identities of guidance counselors - A interviewstudy with some active guidance counselors in elementary and secondary school Master Thesis : 91 - 120 hp Supervisor: Niklas Gustafson Department of Education The purpose of this thesis is to study how some active guidance counselors in elementary and secondary school are talking about themselves and their profession in relation to their own workplace. My theoretical starting point is discourse analysis and social comparison theory, and I have used qualitative interviews using an interview guide. From the result of the empirical material I have been able to identify a discourse scheme for counselors in elementary and secondary school. Within this order of discourse are different opinions among the respondents in the study, including when it comes to tasks that are outside the counselors' actual professional competence. The discourse of "versatile artist" is the most prominent discourse in this study. Another interesting result is that personality is more important than profession when it came to matters of cooperation and sense of belonging with other professionals in their workplace. The interviews also revealed that there is a desire among some respondents about increased regulation and clearer guidelines for school guidance and counseling, while others value the greater latitude for their own operations.

abstract: This research examines the effects of using similar vs. dissimilar models in health messages on message compliance. I find that level of self-awareness moderates the effect of model similarity on message compliance. Across three studies, I demonstrate that when self-awareness is high, a health message that contains a similar model leads to higher compliance than the same message containing a dissimilar model. On the other hand, when self-awareness is low, a health message that contains a similar model leads to lower message compliance than the same message containing a dissimilar model. Additionally, I demonstrate that the increased compliance observed when self-awareness is high and a similar model is used is associated with self-enhancing behavior and increased engagement with the ad, while the decreased compliance observed when self-awareness is low and a similar model is used is associated with disregarding the ad. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Business Administration 2011

Ett samhällsproblem i dagens Sverige är att fler individer i större utsträckning påverkas negativt av sociala medier. Instagram är ett av de största sociala medier som används idag och de bilder som publiceras på Instagram är oftast inriktade på kroppen. Denna kvalitativa fenomenologiska studie har som syfte att utforska och förstå unga individers upplevelse av kroppen vid användandet av Instagram. Studien använder kroppsuppfattning, utseendeideal, social jämförelser, social påverkan och kritiskt tänkande som teoretiska utgångspunkter för att skapa en djupare förståelse kring studiens fenomen och essens. Studien bidrar till en förståelse för det socialpsykologiska perspektivet gällande individens subjektiva upplevelse av kroppen utifrån Instagram-användning. Tio informanter i åldrarna 18–25 år deltog i semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades utifrån en tematisk analysmetod. Resultatet visade att majoriteten av informanterna upplevde den egna kroppen negativt vid användandet av Instagram då de upplevde att kroppen som framställs på Instagram är snyggare, smalare och mer vältränad. Jämförelse mellan den egna kroppen och kroppen på Instagram visade sig därför vara av stor betydelse för hur informanterna upplevde kroppen. Resultatet visade även att kritiskt tänkande är en viktig del i hur informanterna upplevde deras kroppsuppfattning vid användandet av Instagram.

A qualitative interview study aimed at investigating the role of training images for people and the needs of Instagram users. The study focuses on the Actic gym in Kalmar, which is a relatively unexplored area. The questions that the study asks are; What does Instagram mean for media users at Actic? What results of workout does skilled Instagram users experience on Actic? Is there any visible difference between the sexes that practice at Actic and their experience of exercise pictures at Instagram? Semi-structured interviews have been made with eight people age 18-24, as this is the age group that is most active on Instagram. The interviews were transcribed and resulted in a discussion that we lean against the Uses and Gratifications theory and the social comparison theory. The result shows a number of needs that users are considered to need to fill and the perception of training-influenced images that are both positive and negative. The needs are such as inspiration and motivation as well as the help that may be needed to go to the gym.