Research has indicated that alcohol consumption is strongly affected by situational factors, especially social factors. To explore the relevance to drinking of the need for social approval in social situations, 36 male college students were asked to predict how much they would drink in several situations varying in how certain they were of their social standing in a group and whether or not drinking was a behavior approved of by that group (uncertain-drinking valued, uncertain-drinking not valued, and certain-drinking valued). Subjects were divided into high and low need for approval groups based on a median split of their scores on the Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Results showed the nature of the situation and the subject's need for approval were both significantly related to predicted drinking behavior, with a certain social situation and a low need for approval leading to the most drinking. Contrary to expectations, there was no interaction between situational factors and the need for social approval. (Author/JAC)