The construct of social desirability: one or two dimensions?

The construct of social desirability continues to be controversial, even though it was introduced over 50 years ago. Recent work has emphasized two dimensions of social desirability: self-deception and impression management. Other research has continued to regard social desirability as a unitary construct. Here we test the one- and two-dimensional models of social desirability within a nomological network of related psychological constructs. Results of a preliminary factor analysis of the responses of 202 university undergraduates were ambiguous in that both one- and two-dimensional solutions were plausible. There was even some support for a three-dimensional structure. The results in all solutions, however, did not correspond to the expected distinction of self-deception from impression management. Further theoretical developments and improved measurement instruments are clearly required.