Depression and social comparison motives

Abstract

Abstract This study examined the role of informational social comparison motives in depressed and nondepressed individuals' opinion comparison activities. In particular. We examined the impact of agreement and disagreement from sources similar or dissimilar to depressed and nondepressed subjects on an attribute related to the focal judgment. AS predicted, depressed compared to nondepressed subjects indicated a greater preference for the similar‐disagreer, whereas nondepressed preferred as a partner the dissimilar‐agreer to a greater extent than did depressed subjects. Furthermore, measures of validation and construction motives were found to be associated with diflerent partner preferences. Results are discussed in terms of the multiple motivations underlying and distinguishing depressed and nondepressed social comparison activities.