Is competition harmful or helpful?
I have been interested in the broad social value and consequences of competition since my undergrad years. Competition is often lauded as a necessary and valuable way to inspire people to perform at their best, and help people find their natural roles in society. On the other hand, competition is criticized as a socially destructive force that brings about materialism, unhappiness, diminished self-esteem, and mutual contempt.
I have been interested in the broad social value and consequences of competition since my undergrad years. Competition is often lauded as a necessary and valuable way to inspire people to perform at their best, and help people find their natural roles in society. On the other hand, competition is criticized as a socially destructive force that brings about materialism, unhappiness, diminished self-esteem, and mutual contempt.
I have been investigating these ideas through a number of research programs. My dissertation work sought to reconcile the mixed findings regarding the effects of competition on intergroup bias and discrimination. I also participated in an interdisciplinary project—organized as part of the 2015 Transformative Consumer Research conference—to understand how marketing practices can exacerbate or reduce social conflict, as well as consumer and societal wellbeing. More recently, I have been investigating how competition within one's peer group can affect personal wellbeing and social media usage.
Related publications/work-in-progress:
- Barrios, A., De Valck, K., Shultz, C., Sibai, O., Husemann, K., Maxwell-Smith, M. A., & Luedicke, M. (2016). Marketing as a Means to Transformative Social Conflict Resolution: Lessons from Transitioning War Economies and the Colombian Coffee Marketing System. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 35 (2), 185-197. doi: 10.1509/jppm.15.151
- Maxwell-Smith, M. A., Barnes, K., Wright, J., Thomson, C., Mattos, M., & Dumas, T. M. (2016). Competition and Intergroup Bias: Toward a New Model of Distinguishing Competitive Perceptions from Competitive Motivations. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 19 (6), 808-832. doi: 10.1177/1368430216642027
- Dumas, T. M., Maxwell-Smith, M. A., Davis, J. P., & Giulietti, P. A. (2017). Lying or Longing for Likes? Narcissism, Peer Belonging, Loneliness and Normative versus Deceptive Like-seeking on Instagram in Emerging Adulthood. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 1-10. (lead article) doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.037
- Media coverage: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Psypost.org; Huron University College; Western University; Western News; Phys.org; Cantech Letter; The Straits Times; MediaPost; The Londoner; Yahoo! News
- Maxwell-Smith, M. A., & Dumas, T. M. Peer competition and buying likes: A cry for help or a coolness tactic? (in progress).
- Maxwell-Smith, M. A., & Dumas, T. M. Competition and the company we keep: How competitive fit within the peer group can hurt or help well-being. (in progress)
How do concerns about social inequality influence consumer decisions, brand equity, and public policy support?
In a series of related research streams that draw on Social Dominance Theory, I investigate how social dominance tendencies affect consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase decisions. In one line of research I am examining whether brand attitudes are affected by information about how a company treats its workforce vis-à-vis wages, training, health benefits, etc. In a related line of research, I am examining how ideological beliefs about societal inequality interact with beliefs about the social impact of offshoring trends to jointly influence how consumers use country-of-origin information, and how they react to international trade policies that affect domestic and foreign consumers.
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Related publications/work-in-progress:
- Maxwell-Smith, M. A., Barnett White, T., & Loyd, D. (2020). Does Perceived Treatment of Unfamiliar Employees Affect Consumer Brand Attitudes? Social Dominance Ideologies Reveal Who Cares the Most and Why. Journal of Business Research, 109, 461-471. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.12.039
- Maxwell-Smith, M. A., Johnson, A., & Rotman, J. Buying as Domination and Elevation: How Social Dominance Ideologies and the Perceived Social Impact of Offshoring Trends affect the Market for Products with a Domestic Brand Manufactured in a Developing Economy. (in progress)