Middlesex University, Dubai The Third United Arab Emirates Undergraduate Research Competition UGSRC - 1 Social Desirability in Relation to Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem Soraya Raeisipour, Department of Psychology, E-mail: SR1096@live.mdx.ac.uk Lauren Stapleton, Department of Psychology Middlesex University, P. O. Box 500697, Dubai UAE Dr. Jakob Pietschnig & Dr. Lynda Hyland, Department of Psychology Abstract Social desirability is one’s tendency to present themselves in favourable light, with regards to social norms [1, 2]. It is based on the fundamental need of belonging to a social group [3], which if not met, may result in detrimental consequences [4-6]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social desirability, and implicit and explicit self-esteem, within an opportunistic sample of 125 participants, recruited from Middlesex University and Knowledge Village. Moreover, the study hypothesised that social desirability and explicit self-esteem would have a stronger positive correlation, than social desirability and implicit self-esteem, and that both correlations would differ in strength. Three questionnaires, Social Desirability Scale, Rosenberg’s Self -Esteem Scale and the Name Letter Test (NLT), were utilised to assess levels of social desirability, explicit self-esteem and implicit self-esteem, respectively. The NLT responses were analysed using B-algorithm, whereas correlations between social desirability, and implicit and explicit self-esteem were analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Correlational differences were evaluated using Fisher’s z transformation. Findings demonstrated a moderate correlation between social desirability and explicit self-esteem (r=.26, p<.05), and a non-existent correlation between social desirability and implicit self-esteem (r=.00, p>.05), confirming that social desirability is weakly correlated with intrinsic and private self- evaluations. 1. INTRODUCTION Social desirability refers to an individual’s tendency to portray him or herself in a favourable light, in response to social norms and beliefs [1-2, 7]. The term was first coined after a common observation amongst researchers suggesting that what respondents say may not be entirely true, as they often over- report good behaviour such as engagement in religious activities and generosity, and under-report bad behaviour such as substance abuse and deviancy [8-10]. Moreover, social desirability points to one’s desire in conforming to others’ opinions and based on the fundamental need of belonging to a social group [11]. This need for affiliation allows individuals to cope with stressful situations such as social comparison and terror management theory [10]. In social comparison, individuals may receive ‘cognitive clarity’, which helps in decision making, and ‘emotional clarity’, allowing healthy emotional regulation and understanding [10]. Furthermore, in terror management theory, the individual may utilise this affiliation to cope with the terror and inevitability of death [10]. However, if need for affiliation is not met, it may result in various social and cognitive consequences such as lowered academic achievement and performance, increased risks of developing depression and anxiety, and lowered self-esteem [4-6]. Having a strong sense of self can be construed in a variety of ways. Firstl y, one’s feelings of self-worth are stable and secure, meaning that it does not require any continuous validation. Secondly, it may reflect on the individual’s agency and determination, disregarding internal or external pressures. And finally, this clear and coherent sense of direction may assist an individual in their daily life [13]. Self-esteem is considered as a very important aspect in one’s self, where thoughts, beliefs and actions are organised and continuously regulated [12]. Therefore, self-esteem is conceptualised as an individual’s private evaluation of his or her own worth within their society [12]. However, the acknowledgement of others’ evaluations of an individual may have an influence on that individual’s self-esteem [14], causing them to engage in