When individuals dislike exposure to an actively coping role model: mood change as related to depression and social comparison orientation

A total of 122 individuals, including those clinically, depressed and nonde pressed, were exposed to a description of a target who overcame his or her depression either through active coping (high effort), or seemingly by itse lf (low effort). Participants first completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure. As predicted, amo ng the nondepressed, with increasing levels of social comparison orientatio n, a high effort target evoked a relatively more positive mood change, and a low-effort target a relatively more negative one. In contrast, among the depressed, with increasing levels of social comparison orientation, a low-e ffort target evoked a relatively more positive mood change, and a high-effo rt target a relatively more negative one. The implications are that exposur e to active role models may worsen a depression, and that social comparison orientation may have clinical implications. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.