If you scored in this range, you (a) answered most of the questions in a socially undesirable direction, but (b) answered them in a way more honest and true to real life than most people. There are a couple of interesting reasons why you may have answered in this way. One may be that you are very comfortable with who you are; you do not feel discomfort when other people view you as behaving in a socially undesirable way. A second explanation may be that you want to be seen by others as a social rebel, someone who is different. Perhaps, too, it's your way of holding a part of your personality out to others and daring them to reject it. If the first mentioned reason is also true, that you are comfortable with how and who you are, then a low level of social desirability may not cause you any trouble. If, however, answering in a rebellious manner does reflect some difficulties you have in getting along with others, then some of the suggestions listed for high scorers may also be useful for you.
If you scored in this range, you are scoring as two out of three people do when taking the test. Scores here represent a combination of socially desirable and socially undesirable responses. Hopefully, this combination represents a balance for you in your day-to-day behavior. It may be helpful for you to look back over the questions and think about how your responses actually relate to your true behavior in those situations.
Your score in this range suggests that being seen as
socially acceptable is very important to you. (Of course, you have to consider
where you scored within this range to decide how much these statements are true
for you.) Perhaps your score indicates what Drs. Crowne and Marlowe see as a
need for approval from others. If so, a high level of this need for approval can
adversely affect your social interactions; you may be seeking approval while
presenting a distorted picture of what you�re really like. If a high need for
approval describes you, you may feel frequent social insecurity, or anxiety
about doing what others expect. If it�s causing you discomfort, some
professional counseling may help you. Counseling can provide you with an arena
for evaluating your feelings about self-worth, adequacy, and acceptability. If
you are a very high scorer, you�re aware of how much energy it takes to
constantly fulfill the �ideal� of social expectations. You will probably feel a
lot better in the long run if you can redirect some of that energy into
continued self-examination and understanding.
About the ScaleIn the 1950s, psychologists began noticing that the desire to be seen as socially acceptable was also a major factor in how people answered psychological tests. Regardless of what the question was about, people tended to select the answer that was more flattering, more socially acceptable, over answers that were less desirable, less �nice.� To investigate what had by then become labeled �social desirability,� psychologists Douglas Crowne and David Marlowe assembled a group of questions that represented behaviors that are, at the same time, culturally sanctioned as �right� but very unlikely to occur in reality. An example of this type of item is, �I never hesitate to go out of my way to help someone in trouble.� The �true� response is socially desirable; the �false� response is socially undesirable. Probably most people would like to be seen as �never hesitating to help,� but it would be a rare individual indeed who always went out of his or her way to help someone in trouble. In keeping with other criteria used by Crowne and Marlowe in selecting their questions, it is important to note that neither the socially acceptable nor the socially unacceptable response has any implication of mental or emotional instability. The answer a person chooses actually measures how he likes to view himself and be seen by others in terms of socially desirable attitudes and behaviors. By now you can probably see why we suggested that you
take the test before reading further. Imagine what it would be like trying to
answer the questions �honestly� after reading this discussion of what the test
attempts to measure. You might, in fact, find it interesting to go back over the
questions, and see what changes in any of your answers would do to your level of
social desirability. |