Misperceiving Your Place: Humility and Hubris in Social Hierarchies

Abstract

In the current chapter, we examine people's perceptions of their place in hierarchies. We explore the complexity of these self-perceptions and show how they are susceptible to inaccuracy and bias. We examine how such inaccuracies, however, can lead to negative social consequences: Overestimating one's place can lead to collective punishment by other group members, and underestimating one's place can lead to underutilizing levers of influence, and ultimately, to losing one's social standing.

Citation

Anderson, C.P. and Spataro, S.E. (2005), "Misperceiving Your Place: Humility and Hubris in Social Hierarchies", Thomas-Hunt, M.C. (Ed.) Status and Groups (Research on Managing Groups and Teams, Vol. 7), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 69-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1534-0856(05)07004-0