For gardening enthusiasts, the ability to grow prize-winning petunias may be critical. And for tri-athletes, their finishing time for a recent race may be an intense point of pride. For others, the success of their children may be the most important measure of their own accomplishment. Are you driven to climb to the top of the corporate ladder? Or grow the biggest tomato in your neighborhood? The areas that matter most to you are the same areas where you are likely to feel most threatened—and most motivated—by competition from others.
The most intense social comparisons are rivalries. Rivals, like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, emerge in meaningful domains, among closely matched competitors, who are similar (or “psychologically close”) in any number of ways.
Individuals can be rivals, but so too can be teams, companies, and organizations. For example, in collegiate basketball, the quintessential rivalry is Duke University and University of North Carolina. Both colleges share a similar history, identity, and location. The college teams play each other frequently, are only 9 miles apart, and they are closely matched. As a result, their successes can powerfully motivate one another.
After Duke won the national championship in 1992, UNC won it the following year. Then, after UNC won the national championship in 2009, it was Duke’s turn to win the title the next year. Of course, it takes many ingredients to win a national championship, but motivation is a critical one, and social comparisons fuel motivation in the workplace, on the basketball court, and beyond.