Publication Date

2025

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Katrina Burch, Reagan Brown, Gretchen Macy

Degree Program

Department of Psychological Sciences

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

Faculty in academia face intense competition and growing expectations, often shaped by perceptions of others’ performance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these dynamics were magnified, making social comparison a critical factor in understanding academic workplace pressures. The purpose of this study is to examine the changing work pressures and social comparison tendencies among academics during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hypothesized that social comparison tendencies will be positively related to time pressure (H1a) and telepressure (H1b), with moderation by sex (H2a and H2b) and organizational rank (H3a and H3b). Using a panel survey of 197 tenure-track and tenured faculty members in the U.S., the study assessed social comparison tendencies in the spring of 2020 (Time 1), and time pressure and telepressure in the fall of (Time 2) using validated scales. Results from moderation analyses showed that social comparison tendencies were positively associated with both time pressure and telepressure. Although faculty sex had a significant direct effect on both stress outcomes, neither sex nor rank moderated the primary relationships. These findings highlight the persistent role of social comparison in workplace stress, emphasizing the need for institutional policies that reduce comparison-driven pressures, promote workload transparency, and support faculty well-being in an increasingly competitive and digitally connected academic environment.

Disciplines

Business | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Organizational Behavior and Theory | Organization Development | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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