Skip to main content
Original Articles

The Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17)

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1027//1015-5759.17.3.222

Summary: Four studies are presented investigating the convergent validity, discriminant validity, and relationship with age of the Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17). As to convergent validity, SDS-17 scores showed correlations between .52 and .85 with other measures of social desirability (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Lie Scale, Sets of Four Scale, Marlowe-Crowne Scale). Moreover, scores were highly sensitive to social-desirability-provoking instructions (job-application instruction). Finally, with respect to the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding, SDS-17 scores showed a unique correlation with impression management, but not with self-deception. As to discriminant validity, SDS-17 scores showed nonsignificant correlations with neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism, and openness to experience, whereas there was some overlap with agreeableness and conscientiousness. With respect to relationship with age, the SDS-17 was administered in a sample stratified for age, with age ranging from 18 to 89 years. In all but the oldest age group, the SDS-17 showed substantial correlations with the Marlowe-Crowne Scale. The influence of age (cohort) on mean scores, however, was significantly smaller for the SDS-17 than for the Marlowe-Crowne Scale. In sum, results indicate that the SDS-17 is a reliable and valid measure of social desirability, suitable for adults of 18 to 80 years of age.

References

References

  • Amelang, M. Bartussek, D. (1970). Untersuchungen zur Validität einer neuen Lügenskala [Studies on the validity of a new lie-scale]. Diagnostica, 16, 103– 122 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Becker, P. (1989). Der Trierer Persönlichkeitsfragebogen: TPF [The Trier Personality Inventory: TPI]. Göttingen: Hogrefe First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Borkenau, P. Ostendorf, F. (1989). Descriptive consistency and social desirability in self- and peer reports. European Journal of Personality, 3, 31– 45 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Borkenau, P. Ostendorf, F. (1992). Social desirability scales as moderator and suppressor variables. European Journal of Personality, 6, 199– 214 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Borkenau, P. Ostendorf, F. (1993). NEO-Fünf-Faktoren Inventar (NEO-FFI) [NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI)]. Göttingen: Hogrefe First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Costa, P.T. McCrae, R.R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO Five Factor Inventory: Professional Manual . Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Crowne, D.P. Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 349– 354 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Edwards, A.L. (1953). The relationship between the judged desirability of a trait and the probability that the trait will be endorsed. Journal of Applied Psychology, 37, 90– 93 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Edwards, A.L. (1957). The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research . New York: Dryden First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Eysenck, H.J. Eysenck, S.B.G. (1964). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory . London: University of London Press First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Eysenck, H.J. Eysenck, S.B.G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Scales (EPS Adult) . London: Hodder and Stoughton First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Fraboni, M. Cooper, D. (1989). Further validation of three short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Scale of Social Desirability. Psychological Reports, 65, 595– 600 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Freund, A.M. Baltes, P.B. (1999). Assessing selection, optimization, and compensation: A questionnaire approach . Manuscript submitted for publication, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Göhner, W. (1999). Selbständiges Training in der Physiotherapie [Autonomous training in physiotherapy]. Unpublished diploma thesis, University of Trier, Germany First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Krampen, G. (1993). Effekte von Bewerbungsinstruktionen und Subskalenextraktion in der Fragebogendiagnostik [Effects of job-application instructions and subscale extraction in assessment via questionnaires]. Diagnostica, 39, 97– 108 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Laux, L. Glanzmann, P. Schaffner, P. Spielberger, C.D. (1981). STAI: Das State-Trait-Angstinventar [STAI: The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory]. Weinheim: Beltz Testgesellschaft First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lück, H.E. Timaeus, E. (1969). Skalen zur Messung Manifester Angst (MAS) und sozialer Wünschbarkeit (SDS-E und SDS-CM) [Scales for the measurement of manifest anxiety (MAS) and social desirability (SDS-E and SDS-CM)]. Diagnostica, 15, 134– 141 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • McCrae, R.R. (1994). The counterpoint of personality assessment: Self-reports and observer ratings. Assessment, 1, 159– 172 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • McCrae, R.R. Costa, P.T. (1983). Social desirability scales: More substance than style. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 882– 888 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • McCrae, R.R. Costa, P.T. de Lima, M.P. Simões, A. Ostendorf, F. Angleitner, A. Marušsic, I. Bratko, D. Caprara, G.V. Barbaranelli, C. Chae, J.-H. Piedmont, R.L. (1999). Age differences in personality across the adult life span: Parallels in five cultures. Developmental Psychology, 35, 466– 477 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Meng, X.-L. Rosenthal, R. Rubin, D.B. (1992). Comparing correlated correlation coefficients. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 172– 175 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Mummendey, H.D. (1981). Methoden und Probleme der Kontrolle sozialer Erwünschtheit (Social Desirability) [Methods and problems in the control of social desirability]. Zeitschrift für Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie, 2, 199– 218 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Mummendey, H.D. Eifler, S. (1993). Eine neue Skala zur Messung Sozialer Erwünschtheit [A new scale for the measurement of social desirability] (Bielefelder Arbeiten zur Sozialpsychologie Nr. 167). Bielefeld: University of Bielefeld First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Musch, J. (1999). German version of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR version 6) . Unpublished manuscript, University of Bonn, Germany First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Nordlohne, E. Reißig, M. Hurrelmann, K. (1993). Drogenmißbrauch in Ost und West: Zur Situation des Drogengebrauchs bei Jugendlichen in den alten und neuen Ländern der Bundesrepublik [Drug abuse in East and West: On the use of illegal drugs by young people in the old and new states of the Federal Republic of Germany]. Sucht, 39, 1 10– 34 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Paulhus, D.L. (1984). Two-component models of socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 598– 609 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Paulhus, D.L. (1986). Self-deception and impression management in test responses. In A. Angleitner & J. S. Wiggins (Eds.), Personality assessment via questionnaires (pp. 143-165). Berlin: Springer-Verlag First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Paulhus, D.L. (1994). Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding: Reference manual for BIDR version 6 . Unpublished manuscript, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Peabody, D. (1967). Trait inferences: Evaluative and descriptive aspects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 4 PT. 2 1– 18 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Ray, J.J. (1988). Lie scales and the elderly. Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 417– 418 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Ruch, W. (1999). Die revidierte Fassung des Eysenck Personality Questionnaire und die Konstruktion des deutschen EPQ-R bzw. EPQ-RK [The revised version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the construction of the German EPQ-R and EPQ-RK]. Zeitschrift für Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie, 20, 1– 24 First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Schmitt, M.J. Steyer, R. (1993). A latent state-trait model (not only) for social desirability. Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 519– 529 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Schultz, D.P. (1972). The human subject in psychological research. In C.L. Sheridan (Ed.), Readings for experimental psychology (pp. 263-282). New York: Holt First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Snyder, C.R. Tennen, H. Affleck, G. Cheavens, J. (2000). Social, personality, clinical, and health psychology tributaries: The merging of a scholarly “river of dreams.”. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 16– 29 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Stöber, J. (1999). Die Soziale-Erwünschtheits-Skala-17 (SES-17): Entwicklung und erste Befunde zu Reliabilität und Validität [The Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17): Development and first results on reliability and validity]. Diagnostica, 45, 173– 177 First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Tabachnick, B.G. Fidell, L.S. (1989). Using multivariate statistics (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Watson, D. Clark, L.A. (1984). Negative affectivity: The disposition to experience aversive emotional states. Psychological Bulletin, 96, 465– 490 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Weinberger, D.A. (1990). The construct validity of the repressive coping style. In J.L. Singer (Ed.), Repression and dissociation: Implications for personality, psychopathology, and health (pp. 337-386). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Weinberger, D.A. Schwartz, G.E. Davidson, R.J. (1979). Lowanxious, high-anxious, and repressive coping styles: Psychometric patterns and behavioral and physiological responses to stress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88, 369– 380 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar