Question

Ann always gets very high grades and takes great pride in her academic ability. According to self-evaluation maintenance theory, which of the following is MOST likely to make Ann feel bad about herself?

a. Ann's best friend gets a higher grade in math class than Ann did.
b. Another student in her math class whom Ann does not know well gets a higher grade
c. Ann takes a class that turns out to be unusually easy and she gets a very high grade.
d. Ann's best friend is named captain of the cheerleading team.

Answer 1

The correct answer is a. Ann's best friend gets a higher grade in math class than Ann did.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to self-evaluation maintenance theory, we feel more threatened by friends than strangers. Therefore, we tend to compare ourselves to a person who is psychologically close to us to determine how well we are doing. If that person surpasses us in an area we are used to excelling in, we are likely to feel bad about ourselves. To Ann, a stranger doing better than her is not that threatening. Her best friend becoming captain of the cheerleading team is also not important, since that is not an area she is concerned with. However, if her best friend - a person who is clearly psychologically close to her - does better than Ann does in an area that matter to her, that will make her feel bad. That is why the answer is a. Ann's best friend gets a higher grade in math class than Ann did.

Answer 2

a. Ann's best friend gets a higher grade

Step-by-step explanation:

Self-evaluation maintenance (SEM) is about the divergence between two people in a relationship. Self evaluation is like a self-esteem. It deals with a way a person views himself as compared to the other person. The other person can be someone that is psychologically close. A person is more likely to compare him/herself to someone close to him/her, like a sibling or a best friend, than a stranger. Therefore, success of one can affect self-evaluation of the other. In the case of Ann, Ann takes pride in scoring high grades in her academics. When her best friend scores best in math class, this can affect the way Ann views herself. This can decrease the self evaluation of Ann. This is possible because, it was Ann's best friend that scores the highest. if it were to be someone psychologically not close to her, her self-evaluation might not decrease.