A psychological model of competitive behavior: social comparison as a mediator of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction among college students

M M Tri Susetyaning Mildawani; Tri Ratna Murti; Anastasia Sri Maryatmi; Juneman Abraham

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12205

A psychological model of competitive behavior: social comparison as a mediator of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction among college students

Heliyon. 2022 Dec 10;8(12):e12205. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12205. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

M M Tri Susetyaning Mildawani¹, Tri Ratna Murti², Anastasia Sri Maryatmi², Juneman Abraham³

Affiliations

¹ Management Department, Faculty of Economic and Business, Perbanas Institute, Jakarta 12940, Indonesia.
² Psychology Department, Faculty of Psychology, University of Persada Indonesia YAI, Jakarta 10430, Indonesia.
³ Psychology Department, Faculty of Humanities, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta 11480, Indonesia.

Abstract

This study is aimed to test a theoretical model of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction towards competitive behavior, with social comparison as a mediator. Participants comprised 334 active university students in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This study applied a predictive-correlational design, with data obtained using questionnaires and analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling. The analysis indicated that the theoretical model corresponds to empirical data (RMSEA = 0.00, NNFI = 1.00) showing that sample data is an accurate representation of the data that would be present in the population (RMSEA < 0.05, NNFI > 0.90). However, critical thinking ability can not predict competitive behavior as mediated by social comparison. This present study provides a deeper understanding that competition is a complex behavior that involves the dimensions of a person's cognitive, self, and adaptive qualities, that cannot be separated from the social context.

Keywords: Adaptation ability; Competitive behavior; Critical thinking ability; Self-efficacy; Social comparison.