Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS)

Abstract

The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS) is a highly influential psychological instrument designed to assess an individual’s tendency to present themselves favorably in self-report measures. Developed by Douglas P. Crowne and David Marlowe, the scale quantifies the need for social approval, commonly known as social desirability bias. The MCSDS is composed of 33 dichotomous (True/False) items that describe culturally sanctioned, yet statistically infrequent, behaviors. It is primarily used in research to identify and control for response bias, ensuring that the relationships observed between variables are genuine rather than artifacts of a subject’s desire for positive evaluation.

Keywords

Social Desirability Scale, MCSDS, Crowne and Marlowe, need for approval, response bias, impression management, psychological assessment, self-report.

Authors

Douglas P. Crowne, David Marlowe.

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Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the MCSDS is to provide a reliable and valid measure of the tendency toward social desirability that is independent of clinical psychopathology. Prior scales often confounded the desire for social approval with measures of maladjustment or neurosis. Crowne and Marlowe specifically sought to isolate the construct of “approval motive” or “evaluative dependence,” which reflects the extent to which an individual seeks positive reinforcement from others by conforming to perceived social norms.

In applied research, the scale is utilized as a moderator variable to statistically account for the variance in self-report data caused by subjects exaggerating their virtues or minimizing their flaws. This application is crucial across various fields, including personality assessment, organizational psychology, and behavioral economics, where the integrity of self-reported information is paramount.

Construct

The psychological construct measured by the MCSDS is evaluative dependence, or the motive to obtain social approval. This construct is operationalized through 33 items that describe behaviors that are either highly virtuous (rarely true for most people) or minor transgressions (commonly true for most people). High scores indicate a strong tendency to endorse the socially desirable options, suggesting a high need for approval or the use of specific response styles.

The scale encompasses two theoretical components of desirable responding: Attribution, where the respondent claims socially desirable traits or behaviors (e.g., “I never intensely disliked anyone”), and Denial, where the respondent denies socially undesirable traits or behaviors (e.g., “I sometimes feel resentful when I don’t get my way”). While these two components exist, the scale is typically scored unidimensionally, yielding a single index of approval motivation.

Validity

The validity of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale has been extensively documented since its introduction. Its primary strength lies in its demonstrated independence from measures of psychopathology, confirming that it measures a specific response style rather than clinical defensiveness. The scale exhibits strong convergent validity with other measures of impression management and good discriminant validity against measures of actual adjustment or intelligence.

Furthermore, the scale possesses predictive utility, particularly regarding behavioral outcomes sensitive to social pressure. High MCSDS scores predict greater conformity in group settings, increased susceptibility to persuasion, and greater endorsement of culturally ideal attitudes, thus validating its measure of the underlying approval motive construct.

Reliability

The MCSDS is recognized for its robust internal consistency. Across diverse samples, the full 33-item scale consistently reports high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, typically falling between 0.73 and 0.88. This indicates that the items reliably measure a single, coherent construct.

The scale also demonstrates good temporal stability, confirming the enduring nature of the approval motive in individuals. Test-retest reliability estimates across several weeks or months generally exceed 0.80. Shorter versions, such as the 11-item Reynolds Short Form (1982), maintain acceptable reliability, though typically slightly lower than the full scale, often ranging from 0.65 to 0.75.

Factor Analysis

The original development of the MCSDS assumed and generally supported a single-factor solution, representing the unitary construct of the need for approval. This unidimensional structure remains the most common method of scoring and interpretation.

However, subsequent factor analyses have sometimes suggested more complex structures. Studies employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), such as those by Loo and Thorpe (2000), occasionally indicate that a two-factor model—distinguishing between conscious impression management (faking good) and unconscious self-deception (believing one is good)—might offer a better statistical fit. Despite these findings, the practical utility and stability of the overall total score mean that researchers predominantly continue to use the MCSDS as a single measure of social desirability response style.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure; Response set inventory.

Format: 33 dichotomous items (True/False). Shorter versions, such as the 11-item Reynolds Short Form, are also commonly used.

Language Available: English (Original); widely translated and adapted into numerous international languages.

Population Group: General population (Clinical and non-clinical samples).

Age Group: Typically utilized with adolescents and adults (16 years and older).

Population Details: Requires minimal reading comprehension for self-administration. Used globally in psychological research and assessment.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate whether each statement is True or False as it pertains to them personally. Scoring is objective, with one point awarded for each socially desirable response.

Keywords

Approval motive, self-report bias, response style, psychological testing, dichotomous scale, personality assessment, test validity.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not uniformly available or applicable.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not applicable (Historical instrument).

Correspondence Address: Not applicable (Historical instrument).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was initially published in 1960 and further codified in 1964. Due to its early publication date and ubiquity in academic literature, the MCSDS is often used freely in non-commercial research settings. Researchers should, however, confirm current copyright status for commercial or large-scale institutional use. No standard fee is generally associated with its use in academic contexts.

This instrument, as detailed on pages 165-166 of the relevant thesis, is available online. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2076&context=etd

Reference’s

Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 349-254.

Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1964). The approval motive: Studies in evaluative dependence. New York: Wiley.

Reynolds, W. M. (1982). Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 119-125.

Loo, R., & Thorpe, K. (2000). Confirmatory factor analyses of the full and short versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The Journal of Social Psychology, 140, 628-635.

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Items of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Listed below are a number of statements concerning personal attitudes and traits. Read each item and decide whether the statement is true or false as it pertains to you personally.

T* F Before voting I thoroughly investigate the qualifications of all the candidates.

T* F I never hesitate to go out of my way to help someone in trouble.

T F* It is sometimes hard for me to go on with my work if I am not encouraged.

T* F I have never intensely disliked anyone.

T F* On occasion I have had doubts about my ability to succeed in life.

T F* I sometimes feel resentful when I don’t get my way.

T* F I am always careful about my manner of dress.

T* F My table manners at home are as good as when I eat out in a restaurant.

T F* If I could get into a movie without paying and be sure I was not seen‚ I would probably do it.

T F* On a few occasions‚ I have given up doing something because I thought too little of my ability.

T F* I like to gossip at times.

T F* There have been times when I felt like rebelling against people in authority even though I knew they were right.

T* F No matter who I’m talking to‚ I’m always a good listener.

T F* I can remember “playing sick” to get out of something.

T F* There have been occasions when I took advantage of someone.

T* F I’m always willing to admit it when I make a mistake.

T* F I always try to practice what I preach.

T* F I don’t find it particularly difficult to get along with loud mouthed‚ obnoxious people.

T F* I sometimes try to get even‚ rather than forgive and forget.

T* F When I don’t know something I don’t at all mind admitting it.

T* F I am always courteous‚ even to people who are disagreeable.

T F* At times I have really insisted on ha‎ving things my own way.

T F* There have been occasions when I felt like smashing things.

T* F I would never think of letting someone else be punished for my wrongdoings.

T* F I never resent being asked to return a favor.

T* F I have never been irked when people expressed ideas very different from my own.

T* F I never make a long trip without checking the safety of my car.

T F* There have been times when I was quite jealous of the good fortune of others.

T* F I have almost never felt the urge to tell someone off.

T F* I am sometimes irritated by people who ask favors of me.

T* F I have never felt that I was punished without cause.

T F* I sometimes think when people have a misfortune they only got what they deserved.

T* F I have never deliberately said something that hurt someone’s feelings.

Scoring and Administration

The socially desirable responses (marked with an asterisk in the full scale above) are scored one point, otherwise zero. The total score is the sum of these desirable responses, ranging from 0 to 33.

Scoring Key Details:

• Attribution (True Scored): Add 1 point if TRUE is marked for the following items: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, and 33.
• Denial (False Scored): Add 1 point if FALSE is marked for the following items: 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19, 22, 23, 28, 30, 32.

Reynolds Short Form Items

The Marlowe-Crowne Scale Reynolds Short Form consists of 11 items:

1. It is sometimes hard for me to go on with my work if I am not encouraged.
2. I sometimes feel resentful when I don’t get my way.
3. No matter who I’m talking to‚ I’m always a good listener.
4. There have been occasions when I took advantage of someone.
5. I’m always willing to admit it when I make a mistake.
6. I sometimes try to get even rather than forgive and forget.
7. I am always courteous‚ even to people who are disagreeable.
8. I have never been irked when people expressed ideas very different from my own.
9. There have times when I was quite jealous of the good fortune of others.
10. I am sometimes irritated by people who ask favors of me.
11. I have never deliberately said something that hurt someone’s feelings.