Self-construals as predictors of socially desirable responding -

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess how self-construals predict the use of socially desirable responding (SDR). The predictors studied in this thesis were the personal, relational, and collective self-construals. SDR was conceptualized as a two factor construct including self-deceptive enhancement (SDE) and impression management (IM). It was hypothesized that the personal self-construal would predict the use of SDE. The relational self-construal was expected to predict the use of both SDE and IM. It was also hypothesized that the collective self-construal would predict the use of IM. The measures used in the study were the Sixfold Self-Construal Scale (Harb and Smith, 2008) and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR; Paulhus, 1991). The final sample of the current study consisted of 297 students from the American University of Beirut campus. The findings of the study supported only one out of the three hypotheses. The personal self-construal was found to significantly predict the use of SDE. The relational self-construal was not found to significantly predict the use of either SDE or IM. Finally, the collective self-construal was not found to significantly predict the use of IM. Limitations of the current study include the weakness of the factor structure of the BIDR thus affecting its appropriateness as a measure of SDR. Response bias may be another limitation as participants may have wished to appear socially desirable. Also, the results reflect the outlooks of a restricted population, thus limiting generalizability to a larger population.