Abstract
Based on the theory of social comparison and intergenerational learning, parents’ social comparison, occurring frequently in families during the process of education, may play a critical role in determining their children’s academic adjustment. Few researchers have explored this issue, let alone the multiple types of parent social comparison and their interactive effects. The aim of this research was to identify profiles of parent social comparisons and their links with child social comparisons, academic self-efficacy, and academic self-handicapping, thus addressing the gap and presenting a simplified comprehensive picture of the collaborative effects of parents’ social comparison from a person-centered perspective. A total of 368 adolescents were surveyed. Latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles in terms of perceived parent social comparisons: indifferent (low all), overwhelmed (high all), positive (high upward identification and downward contrast), and negative (high upward contrast and downward identification). A Bolck–Croon–Hagenaars analysis revealed that adolescents whose parents’ social comparison patterns were perceived as positive reported higher self-efficacy and less self-handicapping, whereas those whose perceptions of parent social comparison patterns were classified as negative reported the reverse. Moreover, adolescents tended to exhibit social comparison types similar to those of their parents. Findings serve as a reminder for parents and educators of the downsides and benefits of various types of social comparison and provide insight into how social comparison transmits via social interaction from an intergenerational perspective.
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Xing, H., Yao, M., Zhu, W. et al. The role of perceived parent social comparisons in adolescent academic social comparison, self-efficacy, and self-handicapping: A person-centered approach. Curr Psychol 42, 15600–15615 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02850-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02850-4