Affect generated by social
comparisons among nurses high and low in burnout
Bram P. Buunk,
Jan F. Ybema, Karen Van der
Zee, Wilmar B. Schaufeli,
Frederick X. Gibbons
(2001) Journal of Applied
Social Psychology, 31(7), 1500-1520.
The affective consequences of
social comparison were examined in 2 field studies among nurses and related to
the 3 dimensions of professional burnout: emotional exhaustion,
reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization. Study 1 was conducted in a sample of 99
nurses of a psychiatric hospital, and Study 2 in a sample of 237 nurses
employed in various settings. In
general, upward comparisons evoked more positive and less negative affect than
did downward comparisons. However, the
affective consequences of social comparison were different for those high and
low in burnout. Those low in personal
accomplishment reported higher levels of negative affect from upward
comparisons and higher levels of positive affect from downward comparisons than
did those high in personal accomplishment.
In addition, in Study 2, those high in depersonalization and emotional
exhaustion derived more positive affect from downward comparisons than did
those with lower levels of burnout.