How fear of negative evaluation influences socially desirable responding: the mediating role of self-confidence and moderating effect of perceived stress

Purpose This study investigates how fear of negative evaluation influences socially desirable responding by examining the mediating role of self-confidence and the moderating effect of perceived stress. It addresses the gap in understanding the cognitive and emotional processes underlying self-presentation, and its implications for authentic communication in organisational settings. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey design was employed, collecting data from 299 working adults in Taiwan across three waves. Temporal separation and reverse-worded items were used to reduce common method bias. The moderated mediation model was tested using regression-based analyses to assess the indirect effect of fear of negative evaluation on socially desirable responding through self-confidence and the conditional effect of perceived stress. Findings The results indicate that fear of negative evaluation negatively impacts self-confidence, which in turn increases socially desirable responding. Furthermore, the mediating effect of self-confidence is significantly moderated by perceived stress; lower stress conditions strengthen this mediation, whereas higher stress diminishes it. Research limitations/implications This study did not examine the role of hierarchical relationships or power asymmetry in shaping impression management. Future studies should incorporate hierarchical level or power distance as contextual moderators to clarify how workplace structure influences fear of negative evaluation and impression management processes. Originality/value By integrating impression management theory with the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, this research provides a novel, multidimensional framework for understanding how individual psychological resources interact with environmental stressors to shape social behaviour.