Processus de comparaison sociale, conformité supérieure de soi et vieillissement

International audienceStudied the effects of mechanisms of comparison in young vs old Ss, with emphasis on self-assessment. Young adults aged 20–34 yrs and older adults aged 65–74 yrs and 75–95 yrs in France were given a list of 28 adjectives and were asked to choose 12 adjectives that characterized a young adult and 12 adjectives that described an older adult. Ss were asked to rate the desirability of each of the 28 adjectives and the applicability of each adjective to themselves vs others. The "superior conformity of the self" (J. P. Codol, 1973, 1974, 1975) effect was found for younger and older Ss. It was especially marked for the 65–74 yr olds when they compared themselves to the 75–95 yr olds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved