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THE ROLE OF FRAMING IN HEALTH SOCIAL COMPARISONS BY
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS
by
Mathew Henry Curtis
_____________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(PSYCHOLOGY)
August 2008
Copyright 2008 Mathew Henry Curtis
Object Description
| Title | The role of framing in health social comparisons by multiple sclerosis patients |
| Author | Curtis, Mathew Henry |
| Author email | mcurtis@usc.edu; mathewcurtis@yahoo.co.uk |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Psychology |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-06-19 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-07-31 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Lickel, Brian |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Miller, Norman Read, Steve Huey, Stan Easterlin, Richard |
| Abstract | The current research examined the role of framing and direction in health social comparisons by multiple sclerosis patients. Framing refers to whether the self is considered similar (identified), or different (contrasted), to a comparison target. Direction is whether the target is doing better (upward), or worse (downward), than the self. Positive, negative and neutral emotional responses (Study 1 and 2), and coping responses (Study 2), via the brief COPE (Carver, 1997), to different types of social comparisons were examined. The role of personality within social comparisons was also assessed as past research has not systematically examined personality within the comparison process. Five personality variables (neuroticism, self-esteem, optimism, internal health control, and social comparison orientation (SCO), were examined in Study 1 and 2. Neuroticism, self-esteem and optimism were found to assess the same underlying construct and so were combined to form a Negative Affective Style variable.; Study 1 employed a within-subjects 2 (Comparison Frame: identified vs. contrasted) x 2 (Comparison Direction: upward vs. downward) design to examine emotional responses to recalled social comparisons. Study 2 examined the same two variables, comparison frame and direction, in a 2 x 2 between-subjects design. Study 2 however, employed a standardized scenario where participants imagined hypothetical social comparisons.; Interaction effects of comparison frame and direction were found on emotions in both Study 1 and Study 2. Comparison frame systematically moderated the effect of comparison direction on emotional responses. Furthermore, the nature of this interaction differed dependent on emotion (e.g. anger vs. fear). Surprisingly though, only comparison frame was found to predict coping, specifically, Active coping.; Across both studies participants with high internal health control reported more positive emotions in response to comparisons. Additionally, participants high in SCO and negative affective style reported more negative emotional responses to comparisons. A sixth personality variable, social desirability, was measured only in Study 2 where higher social desirability predicted less negative emotions in response to comparisons.; Finally, the results of Study 1 showed that across different targets participants preferred to make downward comparisons that contrast the self to the target. |
| Keyword | social comparison; multiple sclerosis; comparison direction; comparison frame; health comparison; emotion; personality |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1484 |
| Rights | Curtis, Mathew Henry |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/services/ask_a_librarian/email/ |
| Filename | etd-curtis-2123 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume29/etd-curtis-2123.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | THE ROLE OF FRAMING IN HEALTH SOCIAL COMPARISONS BY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS by Mathew Henry Curtis _____________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PSYCHOLOGY) August 2008 Copyright 2008 Mathew Henry Curtis |
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