Social-learning theory, social desirability, and the MMPI.

Recent factor analytic interpretations of the MMPI have emphasized response sets as sources of variance, and the tendency to answer items in socially desirable or undesirable ways has been interpreted as the primary factor. It is contended that the primary factor is better interpreted as degree of psychopathology and both social-learning theory and empirical data are presented to support this view. In brief, socially desirable behaviors are typically those which conform to group standards, and the deviant behaviors which define psychopathology are usually socially undesirable. Accordingly, the tendency for MMPI scales to load inversely to social desirability on the primary factor is a consequent of the actual inverse relationship between deviancy and social acceptability of behavior. (61 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)