Overcoming Self-Comparison to IB Peers: 8 Effective Self-Regard Practices
The IB Diploma Programme, known for its rigorous and demanding nature, involves intense academic pressure for students. With high-stakes assessments, grade boundaries, and constant deadlines, it's no surprise that feelings of comparison among students can arise.
Feeling jealous of classmates in the IB Diploma Programme is normal, but it's important to respond by turning jealousy into curiosity or motivation. Social media amplifies academic highlights and "wins" in the IB Diploma Programme, making it easier for students to compare themselves to their peers. However, this constant comparison can have negative impacts on mental health and academic performance.
Recent research on young people’s mental health highlights increasing trends in emotional symptoms, anxiety, and low mood, with pressures related to education likely contributing factors. Persistent mental distress correlates with negative outcomes such as poor academic engagement and risky behaviors, and these associations have worsened over time.
While direct IB-specific studies on comparison are limited, educational psychology indicates that social comparison, especially in competitive environments like the IB, often leads to stress and decreased motivation. To mitigate these effects, students are encouraged to shift their mindset from unhealthy comparison toward finding inspiration in others' achievements, focusing on personal growth, and developing emotional intelligence.
To shift from comparison to inspiration, students can recognise that peers’ successes do not diminish their own potential. They can use others’ achievements as motivation rather than benchmarks to beat. Focusing on personal strengths and individual progress, developing emotional intelligence skills to manage feelings of inadequacy and build resilience, and promoting positive peer dynamics are also key strategies.
Not everyone in the IB Diploma Programme has the same starting point; some may have private tutors, more free time, natural aptitude in certain subjects, different goals, or fewer responsibilities. It's important to remember that everyone's journey is unique.
Seeking support when comparison becomes overwhelming can involve reaching out to teachers or IB coordinators, school counselors or mental health services, friends or classmates, and online communities focused on growth. Reflecting on one's own growth in the IB Diploma Programme can help combat feelings of being behind, even when doing fine.
Success in the IB Diploma Programme can be defined by various factors, such as academic improvement, emotional resilience, time management, and enjoying learning again. It is acceptable to unfollow classmates on social media if their content makes one feel less than.
Comparison in the IB Diploma Programme can lead to decreased focus, procrastination, and mental health challenges like anxiety or depression. Everyone in the IB Diploma Programme takes the same subjects in close-knit cohorts, which can make it easy to compare oneself to others. However, it's important to remember that self-worth should not be based on academic performance or comparison to peers.
Self-worth habits to boost self-esteem in the IB Diploma Programme include gratitude journaling, celebrating small wins, limiting social media and grade gossip, and using affirmations. Shifting goals from perfection to progress can help prevent disappointment and foster a focus on personal growth and improvement. Instead of seeing other people's success as a threat, it can be viewed as proof of what's possible, leading to growth with others, not against them.
In conclusion, the IB Diploma Programme, while challenging, provides opportunities for students to grow and develop emotionally, academically, and personally. By adopting a mindset of inspiration and focusing on personal growth, students can navigate the programme successfully and thrive in their academic and personal lives.
[References] [1] Mental Health America. (2021). State of Mental Health in America 2021. https://www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america [2] International Baccalaureate Organisation. (2021). IB Diploma Programme. https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/ [3] American Psychological Association. (2020). Social Comparison in Social Media: A Review of the Literature. https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media/comparison [4] Haidt, J., & Hersh, C. (2013). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. Penguin Books. [5] Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Positive Education: Positive Psychology and Classroom Interventions. Oxford Review of Education, 40(4), 313-332.
- Engaging in science, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, nutrition, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and career-development activities can help students manage their mental health during the IB Diploma Programme.
- To enhance their academic performance and emotional well-being, students can focus on their unique journeys in the IB Diploma Programme and set goals based on progress, rather than comparison to others.
- In environments like the IB Diploma Programme, students are encouraged to cultivate emotional intelligence, promoting positive peer dynamics, and using others' achievements as motivation, rather than benchmarks to surpass.
- Seeking support from teachers, mental health professionals, friends, or online communities can provide relief for students overwhelmed by feelings of comparison during the IB Diploma Programme.
