Scholarlink

<p>Adolescents in Confucian heritage cultures (CHCs) experience intense academic competition, driven by a strong societal emphasis on academic excellence and the homeroom system that makes performance highly visible. This competitive environment may foster unique psychological mechanisms, leading CHC adolescents to consider peers’ academic achievement when forming friendships, potentially in ways that differ from their Western counterparts. This article investigates how peers’ achievements influence befriending intentions among CHC adolescents from a social comparison perspective, drawing on three studies (<i>N</i> = 941). Study 1 (Sample 1: <i>N</i> = 185, <i>M</i><sub><i>age</i></sub> = 16.05, <i>SD</i> = 0.23; 48.6% male; Sample 2: <i>N</i> = 202, <i>M</i><sub><i>age</i></sub> = 16.04, <i>SD</i> = 0.23; 55.0% male) showed that although academic domains (e.g., math) were perceived as more relevant than non-academic (e.g., art), peers’ achievements in either domain did not directly affect befriending intentions. Study 2 (<i>N</i> = 255, <i>M</i><sub><i>age</i></sub> = 16.56, <i>SD</i> = 0.65; 68.6% male) proposed an opposing-process model, revealing that the null effect in academic domains resulted from both positive and negative mediations through social comparison. Study 3 (<i>N</i> = 299; <i>M</i><sub><i>age</i></sub> = 16.31, <i>SD</i> = 0.47; 49.5% male), targeting academic domains, demonstrated that adolescents’ own achievements amplified the negative effects of social comparisons. Findings highlight that although CHC adolescents show no direct effect of peers’ academic achievement on befriending intentions, the underlying mechanisms are shaped by culturally specific social comparison processes. Future research should further explore the formation of friendships among CHC adolescents, considering the interaction between achievement and social comparison.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Friends or not? Befriending a high-achiever: conflicting effects from the perspective of social comparison in a confucian heritage culture

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月29日

查看全文
  • Tong-Rong Yang,
  • Yi-Kai Chen,
  • Bih-Jen Fwu

摘要

Adolescents in Confucian heritage cultures (CHCs) experience intense academic competition, driven by a strong societal emphasis on academic excellence and the homeroom system that makes performance highly visible. This competitive environment may foster unique psychological mechanisms, leading CHC adolescents to consider peers’ academic achievement when forming friendships, potentially in ways that differ from their Western counterparts. This article investigates how peers’ achievements influence befriending intentions among CHC adolescents from a social comparison perspective, drawing on three studies (N = 941). Study 1 (Sample 1: N = 185, Mage = 16.05, SD = 0.23; 48.6% male; Sample 2: N = 202, Mage = 16.04, SD = 0.23; 55.0% male) showed that although academic domains (e.g., math) were perceived as more relevant than non-academic (e.g., art), peers’ achievements in either domain did not directly affect befriending intentions. Study 2 (N = 255, Mage = 16.56, SD = 0.65; 68.6% male) proposed an opposing-process model, revealing that the null effect in academic domains resulted from both positive and negative mediations through social comparison. Study 3 (N = 299; Mage = 16.31, SD = 0.47; 49.5% male), targeting academic domains, demonstrated that adolescents’ own achievements amplified the negative effects of social comparisons. Findings highlight that although CHC adolescents show no direct effect of peers’ academic achievement on befriending intentions, the underlying mechanisms are shaped by culturally specific social comparison processes. Future research should further explore the formation of friendships among CHC adolescents, considering the interaction between achievement and social comparison.