Assessing ourselves, Psychology#4

Social Comparison Theory.We learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves with other people and their abilities.Sometimes we compare ourselves with people who we think are socially better( or vice versa) than us in some way. This also makes us adopt some actions or behaviours from who we think are better than us. This theory has been categorised into two types:-

1. Downward comparison :-This is when we compare ourselves with someone we see as worse than us.It strains are relationships as we fail to see their positive attributes and limit our support through times thick and thin.
2. Upward comparison :-This is when we compare ourselves when we percieve someone as better than us.It provides us inspiration and motivation to be better.But on the other side it may fuel jealousy, low self esteem and depression. 

We must self assess ourselves by a little understanding. We must recognize our own vulnerabilities which helps us to be compassionate and concerned for others.We should understand that people achieve success by their struggles. As humans we are always capable of greatness with a little effort.