| Socially desirable responding (SDR) or the tendency to provide an overly positive self-description was examined using a criminal forensic population (N = 278). Paulhus' (1984) model was used to separate SDR into two individual parts; Impression Management (IM), consciously creating an overly positive self-description and Self-Deception Enhancement (SDE), unintentionally producing an overly positive self-description. Taxometric analysis was used to examine specific scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Rorschach. The analysis identified the hypothesized IM scales (L, Sd, and ODecp) from the MMPI-2 as having an underlying taxonic structure and the hypothesized SDE scales (K, S, and So) as being dimensional. Analysis of the hypothesized Rorschach IM variables (R, Populars, Blends, and PER) revealed an underlying taxonic structure for Populars, Blends and PER. The hypothesized SDE variables (Zf, Pure F%, Lambda, and Intellectualization Index) did not reveal an underlying taxonic structure. Implications for using the MMPI-2 and Rorschach SDR scales when evaluating criminal forensic populations and possible future research are discussed. |
