Social comparison at school

Can GPA and personality mutually influence each other across time

Bibliographic Data

ID19280698
AuthorsOana Negru-Subtirica (0000-0001-7562-1504, Self and Identity Development Lab, Department of Psychology Babes‐Bolyai University Cluj‐Napoca Romania, corresponding author), Eleonora Ioana Pop (0000-0002-3168-2345, Self and Identity Development Lab, Department of Psychology Babes‐Bolyai University Cluj‐Napoca Romania), E Crocetti (0000-0002-2681-5684, Department of Psychology Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna Bologna Italy), Wim Meeus (0000-0002-5496-3430, Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands)
Year2020
Volume88
Issue3
Pages555-567
Publication date2020-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jopy.12510
PMID31483860
OpenAlexW2971414080
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited44

Objective Being a student is an important social role youth play during adolescence and how they approach this role has critical implications for their future development. This three‐wave longitudinal study investigated the links between academic achievement (i.e., GPA) and personality traits, through the lens of social comparison mechanisms. Method Patterns of effects between students' GPA and personality traits were analyzed at group (i.e., comparing rank‐order differences at group‐level; group effects) and individual (i.e., scores are compared to a student's own mean; within‐person effects) levels. A total of 1,151 adolescents ( M age = 16.45 years; 58.7% female) participated in the study. Results Most effects we depicted were from GPA to personality traits. At the group‐level, higher GPA fostered students' Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness, while Openness reinforced high levels of GPA. At the individual level, GPA was a protective factor against negative affect, as it drove longitudinal decreases in Neuroticism. Conclusions GPA had a stronger role in personality formation when it reflected students' standing in the school compared to their peers (i.e., group effects) and to a lesser extent when it reflected changes at personal level (i.e., within‐person effects)

Agreeableness · Big Five personality traits · Developmental psychology · Extraversion and introversion · Longitudinal study · Neuroticism · Openness to experience · Personality · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Clinical Psychology · Personality Disorders and Psychopathology · Personality Traits and Psychology · Psychology · Social Psychology

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