Gloria is struggling in yoga class. She feels self-conscious about her flexibility and core strength to hold particular moves. Instead of leaving the class, she compares herself to the most overweight and inflexible male member of the course and thinks, "Well at least I can hold my downward dog better than he can." Gloria is utilizing a__________ .

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gloria is using downward comparison by comparing herself to someone who she perceives as being worse off than herself in order to boost her own self-esteem. This is different from self-serving bias, which involves attributing positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to external factors, and self-handicapping, which involves creating excuses or obstacles to explain potential failures. It is also not an example of basking in reflected glory, which involves associating oneself with successful others in order to feel a sense of pride by association.

Gloria Is Struggling in Yoga Class