The personal-group discrepancy: Is there a common information basis for personal and group judgment?

In contrast to motivational accounts of the personal-group discrepancy, res ults from this article suggest that the discrepancy is explained by aggrega ting different sets of comparison outcomes for either personal or group rat ings. Results from a longitudinal study with East German (the minority grou p) and West German (the majority group) samples confirm the personal-group discrepancy and support our approach. First, social comparisons influenced evaluations of economic situation at both group and personal levels. Second , ratings of group versus personal economic situation were based on differe nt sets of comparisons. Third, the mean structure of both sets of compariso n outcomes mirrored the personal-group discrepancy. Fourth, an interaction between personal-group discrepancy and group status supported the authors' suggestions concerning the direction of the discrepancy.