Explain how the concepts of upward- and downward-social comparison can be applied to (a) recovery from serious medical illnesses and (b) successful aging

What will be an ideal response?

Clearly it helps to know that life could be worse, which is why most cancer patients
tend to compare themselves with others in the same predicament but who are adjusting
less well than they are. In a study of 312 women who had early-stage breast cancer
and were in peer support groups, Laura Bogart and Vicki Helgeson (2000) had the
patients report every week for seven weeks on instances in which they talked to, heard
about, or thought about another patient. They found that 53% of all the social
comparisons made were downward, to others who were worse off? only 12% were
upward, to others who were better off (the rest were "lateral" comparisons to similar
or dissimilar others). In fact, the more often patients made these social comparisons,
the better they felt. Downward
social comparison is also associated with an ability to cope with the kinds of life regrets
that sometimes haunt people as they get older. Adult development researchers have
observed that aging adults often experience intense feelings of regret over decisions
made, contacts lost, opportunities passed up, and the like— and these regrets can
compromise the quality of their lives. Isabelle Bauer and
others (2008) asked adults ranging from 18 to 83 years old to disclose their biggest
regret and then indicate whether their same-age peers had regrets that were more or
less severe. Among the older adults in the sample, those who tended to see others as
having more severe regrets than their own felt better than those who saw others as
less regretful.