ABSTRACT
Paulhus argues that the concept of social desirability is typically viewed as a single continuum ranging from undesirable to desirable. However, that conception has led to confusion, and the author argues for distinguishing two desirability factors corresponding to the evaluative aspects of agency and communion. Key evidence comes from factor analyses of desirability ratings: Rather than one, up to 10 dimensions emerge. The predominance of agentic and communal forms of desirability become evident when (a) factor extraction is limited to two factors or (b) responses are collected under stress or speeded conditions. The bidimensional construal has (at least) two important implications: (1) measures of desirable responding must be partitioned into agentic and communal positivity, and (2) desirability ratings of traits (and other self-descriptors) must be scored separately for agentic and communal positivity. The two major factors of social desirability scales – egoistic and moralistic enhancement – are underpinned by agentic values and communal values, respectively.
