Analysis

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) is a psychometric tool used to assess individuals’ tendency to respond in socially desirable ways rather than giving honest answers. This questionnaire includes two main dimensions: self-deceptive enhancement and impression management. Self-deceptive enhancement refers to individuals’ tendency to view themselves in an overly positive way, often without conscious awareness, while impression management refers to the conscious effort of individuals to present themselves in a manner that is socially acceptable and desirable.
The BIDR is widely used in psychological research to evaluate the authenticity of participants’ responses, helping researchers better understand the impact of social desirability on research outcomes. The questionnaire contributes to identifying and reducing the influence of this tendency, thereby ensuring more reliable and valid data.

Purpose

The aim of this questionnaire is to identify and assess individuals’ tendency to respond in ways considered socially acceptable or desirable, rather than providing honest and authentic answers. This instrument enables researchers to distinguish between participants’ genuine perceptions and behaviors, and those shaped by the desire to create a positive self-image or meet social expectations.
In this way, the BIDR improves the accuracy and reliability of psychological measurements and research, allowing for a better understanding of human behavior and psychological characteristics. In particular, through the analysis of responses, researchers can identify cases where social desirability affects results and adjust their methodological approaches accordingly, in order to ensure more valid and reliable data.

Scoring

The BIDR-V6 (40 items) consists of 40 items, which are answered on the following scale:
1 = NOT TRUE AT ALL ––– 2 ––– 3 ––– 4 = SOMEWHAT TRUE ––– 5 ––– 6 ––– 7 = VERY TRUE

References

Paulhus, D. L., & Reid, D. B. (1991). Enhancement and denial in socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 307–317.
Paulhus, D. L. (1991). Measurement and control of response bias. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 17–59). San Diego: Academic Press.
Paulhus, D. L., & Reid, D. (1991). Enhancement and denial in socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 307–317.
Paulhus, D. L., Bruce, M. N., & Trapnell, P. D. (1995). Effects of self-presentation strategies on personality profiles and their structure. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 100–108.
Stöber, J., Dette, D. E., & Musch, J. (2002). Comparing continuous and dichotomous scoring of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding. Journal of Personality Assessment, 78, 370–389.
Paulhus, D. L. (1994). Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding reference manual for BIDR Version 6. Vancouver, British Columbia: University of British Columbia.
Denchik, Angela L. (2005). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale. Ohio State University.