The perils of outperformance: Sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison

Outperforming others, although privately satisfying, can be a source of int erpersonal strain. This article presents the framework of a major form of o utperformance-related distress, which we label sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison (STTUC). To become STTUC, an indi vidual must believe that another person is making an upward comparison agai nst the self and feels threatened by the contrast in status. The outperform er must also experience concern about some facet of the other's response, a nd this concern may be focused on the other, the self, or the relationship. In addition to offering new predictions about outperformance-related distr ess, the STTUC framework unites many previously disconnected findings on to pics such as fear of success, envy, self-presentation, and self-evaluation maintenance.