Need For Social Approval Research Articles

Does Social Desirability Confound the Assessment of Self-Reported Measures of Well-Being and Metacognitive Efficiency in Young and Older Adults?

Social desirability is a multicomponent personality trait referring to the tendency of individuals to regulate their answers to establish a positive impression, avoid criticism, or satisfy a need for social approval (Johnson & Fendrich, 2002; Paulhus, 1984). This study investigated the role played by the socially desirable response style assessed with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960) on self-rated measures of affect (i.e., Center of Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale; Radloff, 1977), metacognitive efficiency (i.e., Sensitivity to Memory Questionnaire; Cornoldi & De Beni, 2003; and Cognitive Failures Questionnaire; Borella, Carretti, Cornoldi, & DeBeni, 2007), and self-perceived psychological wellness (Psychological Wellness and Aging Questionnaire; De Beni, Borella, Carretti, Marigo, & Nava, 2007) in a sample composed of young (M = 24.6 years), old (M = 69.4 years), and very old (M = 81.9 years) adults counterbalanced by gender and education (i.e., ≤ 8 years versus > 8 years). Results revealed that social desirability alone predicted measures of affect and emotional competencies and contributed to predicting personal satisfaction, general perceived wellness, and self-rated cognitive efficiency. Overall, the present outcomes suggest clinical psychologists should pay attention to the crucial interference of social desirability in assessing wellness even in late adulthood, that is, in a developmental phase thought to be mainly characterized by reduced control of physical and psychological functions.

Determinants of social desirability bias in sensitive surveys: a literature review

Survey questions asking about taboo topics such as sexual activities, illegal behaviour such as social fraud, or unsocial attitudes such as racism, often generate inaccurate survey estimates which are distorted by social desirability bias. Due to self-presentation concerns, survey respondents underreport socially undesirable activities and overreport socially desirable ones. This article reviews theoretical explanations of socially motivated misreporting in sensitive surveys and provides an overview of the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of specific survey methods designed to encourage the respondents to answer more honestly. Besides psychological aspects, like a stable need for social approval and the preference for not getting involved into embarrassing social interactions, aspects of the survey design, the interviewer’s characteristics and the survey situation determine the occurrence and the degree of social desirability bias. The review shows that survey designers could generate more valid data by selecting appropriate data collection strategies that reduce respondents’ discomfort when answering to a sensitive question.

Prospective Associations Among Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms, Interpersonal Problems, and Aggressive Behaviors

This study examined the prospective relationships among borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms, interpersonal problems, and types of aggressive behaviors (i.e., experiencing psychological and physical victimization and perpetrating psychological and physical aggression) in a psychiatric sample (N = 139) over the course of 2 years. We controlled for other PD symptoms and demographic variables. BPD symptoms at baseline were associated with interpersonal sensitivity, interpersonal ambivalence, interpersonal aggression, need for social approval, and lack of sociability 6 months later. In turn, interpersonal sensitivity predicted not experiencing physical aggression, interpersonal aggression predicted experiencing physical aggression and perpetrating both psychological and physical aggression, need for social approval predicted experiencing both psychological and physical aggression, and lack of sociability predicted perpetrating physical aggression 2 years later. Results demonstrated that interpersonal problems mediated the relationship between BPD and later violent behaviors. Our findings suggest the importance of distinguishing between these groups of aggressive behaviors in terms of etiological pathways, maintenance processes, and treatment interventions.

Psychological factors determining success in a medical career: A 10-year longitudinal study

Background: Systemic review of predictors of success in medical career is an important tool to recognize the indicators of proper training.Aim: To determine psychological factors that predict success in a medical career. The success is defined as professional competence, satisfaction with medicine as a career, occupational stress and burnout and quality of life (QOF).Methods: Part I (1999–2005), medical students were examined each subsequent year, beginning with admission. Assessment included academic achievement (high school final examination results, entrance exam results, academic results during medical school) and psychological characteristics (sense of coherence (SOC), depression, anxiety, coping styles, value system and need for social approval). Part II (2008–2009), the same participants completed an Internet survey 4 years after graduation. Results of the postgraduate medical exam were taken under consideration.Results: Academic achievement predicts only professional competence. Coping styles are significant indicators of satisfaction with medicine as a career. SOC, while assessed with anxiety and depression during studies, enabled us to recognize future QOF of medical graduates. Professional stress is not predictable to such an extent as other success indicators.Conclusions: There are significant psychological qualities useful to draw the outline of the future job and life performance of medical graduates.

Relación entre el consumo excesivo de alcohol y esquemas maladaptativos tempranos en estudiantes universitarios

IntroductionExcessive consumption of alcohol is one of the most common problems among college students and how it processes information (cognitive styles), is one of the key variables to understand and speak on this issue. ObjectiveTo identify the relationship between alcohol consumption and early maladaptive schemas in university students. MethodWe used a descriptive correlational design within an analytical model for empirical research. We applied the Questionnaire Identification of Disorders due to Alcohol Consumption (AUDIT) and the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-L2) to 359 students at a private university in Bogotá, Colombia, chosen from a stratified random sampling. ResultsThe results indicate a higher level of alcohol consumption and early maladaptive schemas in women. It is also identifies a correlation between alcohol consumption and patterns of abandonment, self-sufficient, mistrust, vulnerability, right and grandiosity, and self-entrapment. ConclusionConsumption of alcohol is associated with cognitive styles characterized by overestimation of the damage, low tolerance to frustration and high need for social approval.

The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale: Psychometric Properties in Depressed Adolescents

The psychometric properties and factor structure of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale were examined in a sample of 422 male and female adolescents (ages 12–17) with current major depressive disorder. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .93) and correlated significantly with self-report and interview-based measures of depression. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a correlated 2-factor model, with scales corresponding to perfectionism and need for social approval, provided a satisfactory fit to the data. The goodness-of-fit was equivalent across sexes and age groups. The findings support the use of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale and its subscales in the assessment of clinically depressed adolescents.

Relação entre ordem de nascimento e estilos interpessoais

O estilo interpessoal é um aspecto da personalidade referente à forma particular do indivíduo participar e obter influência no meio social. Origina-se na infância a partir das primeiras interações no grupo familiar. Sugere-se que a posição do indivíduo na genitura familiar, denominada ordem de nascimento, é uma variável importante neste processo. Esta pesquisa investigou efeitos combinados de sexo e ordem de nascimento sobre o estilo interpessoal. Uma amostra de 435 estudantes universitários (196 homens e 239 mulheres), com idades entre 18 e 40 anos (M = 23,3), respondeu ao BASIS-A (Basic Adlerian Scales of Interpersonal Styles) e a um breve questionário demográfico. Foram encontradas interações entre sexo e ordem de nascimento para diferenças de estilo interpessoal. Mulheres caçulas revelaram maior tendência a buscar sucesso e aprovação social do que mulheres primogênitas e homens caçulas. Entre os homens, os caçulas revelaram menor necessidade de aprovação social do que primogênitos e filhos únicos. E primogênitos mostraram maior necessidade de atender às convenções sociais e obter sucesso. A interação entre sexo e ordem de nascimento se mostrou relevante para compreender o desenvolvimento da personalidade no contexto das relações familiares. Palavras-chave: ordem de nascimento; estilos interpessoais; personalidade.

Predictors of Hopelessness Among Clinically Depressed Youth

Factors that distinguish depressed individuals who become hopeless from those who do not are poorly understood. In this study, predictors of hopelessness were examined in a sample of 439 clinically depressed adolescents participating in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). The total score of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) was used to assess hopelessness at baseline. Multiple regression and logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the extent to which variables were associated with hopelessness and determine which cluster of measures best predicted clinically significantly hopelessness. Hopelessness was associated with greater depression severity, poor social problem-solving, cognitive distortions, and family conflict. View of self, view of the world, internal attributional style, need for social approval, positive problem-solving orientation, and family problems consistently emerged as the best predictors of hopelessness in depressed youth. Cognitive and familial factors predict those depressed youth who have high levels of hopelessness.

Group interpersonal psychotherapy for low-income women with posttraumatic stress disorder

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for low-income women with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subsequent to interpersonal trauma. Non-treatment-seeking predominantly minority women were recruited in family planning and gynecology clinics. Individuals with interpersonal trauma histories (e.g., assault, abuse, and molestation) who met criteria for current PTSD (N=48) were randomly assigned to treatment or a wait list. Assessments were conducted at baseline, treatment termination, and 4-month follow-up; data analysis used a mixed-effects regression approach with an intent-to-treat sample. The results showed that IPT was significantly more effective than the wait list in reducing PTSD and depression symptom severity. IPT participants also had significantly lower scores than waitlist individuals on four interpersonal functioning subscales: Interpersonal Sensitivity, Need for Social Approval, Lack of Sociability, and Interpersonal Ambivalence.

Being Good Citizens: Understanding a Mediating Mechanism of Organizational Commitment and Social Network Ties in OCBs

Given that citizenship challenges the basis and workings of the basic institutions market, state, and civil society, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) become an important moral tenet found in some codes of ethical principles. This study explores service-oriented OCBs and their determinants. Three dimensions of service-oriented OCBs (loyalty, service delivery, and participation) are hypothetically influenced by distributive justice, procedural justice, personal cooperativeness, and the need for social approval through the mediation of organizational commitment. The three dimensions of OCBs are hypothetically influenced by personal cooperativeness, need for social approval, task interdependence, and outcome interdependence through the mediation of social network ties. The model is tested using data from contact employees at several financial holding companies in Taiwan. Test results reveal that the relationships between need for social approval and organizational commitment and those between task interdependence and social network ties are insignificant, whereas all other paths are significant. This study also provides managerial implications and limitations.

Relationships between leadership style and vision content: The moderating role of need for social approval, self-monitoring, and need for social power

This study examines the relationship between leaders' personal attributes, leadership style and vision content. One hundred eighty three corporate managers from six industries, who completed a 14-week leadership development course, provided self-reports of their need for social approval, self-monitoring, and need for social power by the second week of the course. Eight hundred and nine subordinates provided ratings of their manager's leadership style by the third week of the course. Upon completion of the course, the managers wrote vision statements which were coded using Berson, Shamir, Avolio, & Popper's [Berson, Y., Shamir, B., Avolio, B. J., & Popper, M. (2001). The relationship between vision strength, leadership style, and content. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 53–73] vision theme categories. Charismatic leadership was most positively associated with inspirational vision themes, whereas contingent reward leadership was most positively associated with instrumental vision themes. Leaders' need for social approval, self-monitoring, and need for social power moderated these relationships.

Relationships of eating disturbances to alexithymia, need for social approval, and gender identity among Japanese female undergraduate students

To clarify the relationships of eating disturbances to alexithymia, need for social approval, and gender identity, 194 Japanese female undergraduate students completed the following rating scales; 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), 20-items Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Gender Identity scale, and the revised Martin–Larsen Approval Motivation Scale (MLAM), and we analysed the findings. The hypothesized path model was examined by stepwise multiple regression analyses. The results showed the Difficulty Feelings subscale of TAS-20 had a direct relationship with all of the subscales of EAT-26. On the other hand, the Difficulty Describing Feelings subscale of TAS-20 was directly associated only with the Oral Control subscales of EAT-26. The Difficulty Describing Feelings subscale showed significant relationships with the dieting and the bulimia and food preoccupation subscales of EAT-26 mediated by MLAM, which measured the need for social approval. Gender identity was directly and significantly related to the dieting and Oral Control subscales, whereas it was not associated with MLAM. We suggested that each aspect of eating disturbances had different psychological factors.

Changes in the need for social approval, 1958–2001

American college students’ and children’s scores on two measures of the need for social approval closely follow changes in the state of the larger society, decreasing significantly from 1958 to 1980 and leveling off between 1980 and 2001 (total n = 36,004 across 203 samples of college students responding to the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability scale; total n = 4741 across 38 samples of children responding to the Children’s Social Desirability Questionnaire). Need for social approval correlates with positive social trends such as a low divorce rate, low crime rate, and low unemployment rate. However, need for social approval does not correlate over time with changes in anxiety and self-esteem, suggesting that these birth cohort trends are not due to shifts in response styles.

Assessment of Teachers’ Attitudes about Professional Development

This article reports three studies in which a scale for assessing teachers’ beliefs about professional-development initiatives was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. Results indicated that the Teachers’ Attitudes About Professional Development (TAP) scale produced scores with high reliability, a stable one-factor structure, and satisfactory construct and discriminant validity (relative to measures of need for social approval, need for cognition, authoritarianism, and teacher self-efficacy). The studies support the theoretical and practical utility of the construct and measure of teachers’ beliefs about professional development.

Obsessions and Compulsions Are Associated With Different Cognitive and Mood Factors

AbstractThis study examined whether nonclinical obsessions and nonclinical compulsions relate differently to cognitive and mood factors such as responsibility, perfectionism, trait anxiety and depressed mood. Two hundred and three nonclinical undergraduate psychology students (70.4% females, 29.6% males, mean age = 18.7,SD= 1.1) completed questionnaires. After controlling for the relationship between obsessions and compulsions, obsessions were found to relate significantly more strongly to depressed mood, trait anxiety, socially prescribed perfectionism and responsibility than compulsions. Conversely, compulsions were found to relate more strongly to self-oriented perfectionism than obsessions. These results were interpreted as providing support for the notion that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is maintained by a conflicted mental representation of the self and the world. Obsessions were interpreted as reflecting an overdeveloped vigilance for threat, responsibility and need for social approval. Compulsions were interpreted as emanating from the belief that the self is self-sufficient and resourceful, and that the world is ordered and systematic. Implications for the treatment of OCD were discussed.

Knowing what it takes: the effect of perceived learner advantages on dance teachers’ use of critical‐thinking activities

The Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal was administered to practicing dance teachers (n = 52) in the USA to investigate their beliefs (and use of) critical‐thinking activities with high‐advantage and low‐advantage learners. Results point to an ‘advantage effect’ in dance teachers’ beliefs about critical thinking: the higher the perceived learner advantages, the more likely teachers are to favor high ­critical‐thinking activities. This effect also appears to be a more absolute belief in the efficacy of teaching high‐advantage learners than previously thought. These results extend to teachers’ classroom behavior as well as their espoused beliefs and are not an artifact of teachers’ critical‐thinking ability and disposition, or their need for social approval. Implications and the need for further research are discussed.

Japanese Teenage Girls - Their Ad-Inspired Social Comparison Behavior and Perceptions of Women's Roles

This study examines ad-inspired social comparison behavior among a sample of Japanese teenage girls and the psychological variables that predict the behavior. It investigates whether comparison activities may be associated with how the girls perceive the importance of having a career and getting married, and the importance of physical attractiveness and intelligence in the roles of career woman and homemaker. The findings indicate that a fair percentage of the girls do engage in comparison with models in ads. Furthermore, these girls were more likely to perceive having a career and getting married as important. They were also more likely to perceive physical attractiveness as important for both the social roles of career woman and homemaker, and intelligence as important for the role of homemaker. The need for social approval was found to be the most significant predictor of comparison behavior.

Sensation seeking and communication apprehension: Biological and genetic correlates of approaching or avoiding communication events

The study reported here was designed to test the assumption that individual differences in preference for experiences that provide physiological arousal predict differences in communication apprehension. Participants (N=113) completed Zuckerman's (1979) Sensation‐Seeking Scale V (SSS V), McCroskey's (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA‐24), and Crowne and Marlowe's (1964) Social Desirability Scale (SDS). Results provided support for the hypothesized negative relationship between sensation seeking and communication apprehension. Additionally, need for social approval was identified as a significant covariate in the measurement model. However, the relationship between communication apprehension and sensation seeking was found to be nonlinear and mediated by social desirability. The discussion focuses on the possible role of genetic and biological factors in the etiology of communication apprehension.

Body dissatisfaction, need for social approval, and eating disturbances among japanese and American college women

A total of 171 Japanese and 144 American collegewomen (90% European American, 4% African American, 4%Asian or Asian American, and 2% other) completed theEating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory(EDI), and the Revised Martin-Larsen Approval MotivationScale (MLAM). Japanese women expressed the greaterdissatisfaction with their body but no more eatingdisturbances than American women. The need for socialapproval predicted the Japanese women's eatingdisturbances after controlling for the effects of bodyfatness (BMI) and body dissatisfaction. BMI was asignificant predictor of eating disturbances for Americanwomen but not for Japanese women. The results werediscussed in terms of their implications forcross-cultural similarities and differences incorrelates of disordered eating.

Communication goals: Individual differences between Korean and American speakers

This paper is a cross-cultural investigation of the relationship between individual-difference variables and the perceived importance of interactive constraints. It was hypothesized that ‘need for social approval’ would correlate positively with the importance of three ‘prosocial’ interactive constraints (i.e. concern for other's feelings, concern for avoiding negative evaluation by the hearer, and concern for minimizing imposition), and that ‘need for dominance’ would correlate positively with concern for clarity and concern for effectiveness. The participants consisted of 595 undergraduates, 296 of them studying in Korea, and 299 in the U.S.A. After being presented with one of six request situations, participants rated the perceived importance of each constraint. Then they completed scales measuring need for approval and need for dominance. The results indicate that the different personality characteristics (the need for approval and need for dominance) systematically affect the perceived importance of interactive constraints in both cultures. The implications of the findings are discussed.