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Cited by 348Psychological Testing and AssessmentPsychometric Methodologies and TestingPersonality Traits and Psychology

Rethinking Social Desirability Scales: From Impression Management to Interpersonally Oriented Self-Control

Uziel, Liad·2010·Perspectives on Psychological Science
DOI 10.1177/1745691610369465
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Abstract

Social desirability (specifically, impression management) scales are widely used by researchers and practitioners to screen individuals who bias self-reports in a self-favoring manner. These scales also serve to identify individuals at risk for psychological and health problems. The present review explores the evidence with regard to the ability of these scales to achieve these objectives. In the first part of the review, I present six criteria to evaluate impression management scales and conclude that they are unsatisfactory as measures of response style. Next, I explore what individual differences in impression management scores actually do measure. I compare two approaches: a defensiveness approach, which argues that these scales measure defensiveness that stems from vulnerable self-esteem, and an adjustment approach, which suggests that impression management is associated with personal well-being and interpersonal adjustment. Data from a wide variety of fields including social behavior, affect and well-being, health, and job performance tend to favor the adjustment approach. Finally, I argue that scales measuring impression management should be redefined as measures of interpersonally oriented self-control that identify individuals who demonstrate high levels of self-control, especially in social contexts.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1745691610369465

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222 of 222 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims other papers make about this one

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  • Impression management scales do not tap defensiveness but a different construct, interpersonally oriented self-control.

    “Moreover, there is overwhelming evidence that impression management scales do not tap defensiveness but a very different construct, which has been recently labeled interpersonally oriented self-control (IOSC).”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Uziel, 2010

  • Subsequent research shows that repressive individuals experience lower negative emotion and do not incur increased health risks.

    “However, subsequent research has shown that “repressive” individuals do in fact experience lower levels of negative emotion, and – contrary to predictions – do not incur increased health risks (reviewed in Uziel, 2010).”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Uziel, 2010

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Related

Authors
Uziel, L.
Affiliations
Bar-Ilan University (IL)
Corresponding author
Uziel, Liad
ORCID
Uziel, Liad
Venue
Perspectives on Psychological Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2010-05
Volume
5
Issue
3
Pages
243-262
ISSN
  • 1745-6916 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-6924
DOI
10.1177/1745691610369465
OpenAlex
W2113634081
Cited by
348
References
207
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 17
FWCI
1.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Perspectives on Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
Keywords
social desirability, impression management, self-report bias, response styles, defensiveness, self-esteem, interpersonal adjustment, well-being, self-control, scale evaluation, employee performance

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