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

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