The MMPI and Edwards Personality Inventory were administered to 218 college students. Scores on the Manifest Anxiety (MA), Repression-Sensitization (R-S), and Social Desirability (SD) scales were scored from the MMPI and a non-overlapping, balanced True-False, non-pathological content social desirability (BSD) scale was scored from the items of the Edwards. The scales were intercorrelated and factor analyzed by the method of principal components. The results support a social desirability interpretation of scores on the four scales, and questioned the discriminant validity of the R-S and MA scales, as have other studies which were briefly reviewed.
References
1.
EdwardsA. L.The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research. New York: Dryden, 1957.
2.
EdwardsA. L.ConeJ.AbbottR.Anxiety, structure, or social desirability?Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1970, 34, 236–238.
3.
EdwardsA. L.DiersC. J.WalkerJ. N.Response sets and factor loadings on sixty-one personality scales. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1962, 46, 220–225.
4.
EdwardsA. L.WalshJ. A.Response sets in standard and experimental personality scales. American Educational Research Journal, 1964, 1, 52–61.
5.
GolinS.HerronE. W.LakotaR.ReineckL.Factor analytic study of the manifest-anxiety, extraversion, and repression-sensitization scales. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1967, 31, 564–569.
6.
KimbleG. A.PosnickG. M.Anxiety?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1967, 7, 108–110.
7.
LibertyP. G.LunneborgC. E.AtkinsonG. C.Perceptual defense, dissimulation, and response styles. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1964, 28, 529–537.
8.
SullivanP. F.RobertsL. K.The relationship of manifest anxiety to repression-sensitization on the MMPIJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1969, 33, 763–764.
9.
TaylorJ. A.A personality scale of manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 285–290.
