Social Comparison, Tolerance of Ambiguity and Quiet Ego Among Young Adults

Abstract

In today’s fast-paced VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, amplified by the pervasive influence of social media, individuals often become increasingly self-focused and prone to social comparisons as a means of self-evaluation, and navigating their environment. In such a context, two psychological constructs—tolerance of ambiguity (the capacity to remain comfortable with uncertainty) and quiet ego (a balanced self-identity that emphasizes growth over self-promotion)—emerge as crucial for adaptive functioning. This study explores the association between social comparison orientation (SCO) & its dimensions (ability-based and opinion-based social comparison – SCO-A and SCO-O, respectively), with tolerance of ambiguity (TOA) and quiet ego (QE), in young adults, who are most prone to social comparisons. The sample comprised of 140 Indian young adults, who were administered the Iowa- Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure – INCOM (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999), Ambiguity Tolerance – AT-20 Scale (MacDonald, 1970), and the Quiet Ego Scale (Wayment et al., 2015). The statistical method of Pearson correlation was utilized. The findings show a significant, and negative relation between SCO and TOA, and a significant, positive but low relation between TOA and QE. However, the study found an insignificant, negative and low relation between SCO and QE. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed.