Defensive Comparison of Teachers' Close Friendships with Colleagues

Abstract

The present study examined teachers' evaluations of the teaching effectiveness of a close friend and colleague and the extent of supportiveness the close friend and colleague provided. We reasoned that the teaching performance of a close friend and colleague who was teaching the same subject matter, e.g., history, as one did would reflect unfavorably on one's competence and so be threatening to self. One can maintain positive elf-evaluation by devaluing the effectiveness of teaching by the close friend and colleague The support offered by the close friend and colleague teaching the same subject may also be threatening, for the negative implications it can carry with regard to one's competence. To cope, one could perceive the support as relatively low. 145 teachers responded to a questionnaire containing the variables of interest. Analysis provided support for the hypotheses, confirming the proposition that there is an element of defensive comparison among teachers who considered themselves to be close friends with a target teacher.