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25.2.1 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
This assessment, known more commonly as the MMPI, is designed to assess major symptoms and indi-
cators of social and personal maladjustment, which are believed to be indicative of disabling psychologi-
cal dysfunction. The MMPI has been applied across a wide variety of settings. Clinicians often use the
MMPI to select the proper treatment modality for their patients. Employers in public safety have
found it can assist in the selection of individuals for jobs that involve high risk. The MMPI also has
been applied to the areas of career counseling, marital relations, and family therapy.
The MMPI and its most recent revision, the MMPI-2 (Butcher et al., 1989), are among the most widely
used and researched of the various personality inventories (Watkins et al., 1995), which is the primary
reason it is referenced here. The literature contains over 4000 references to the MMPI-2 published
between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s (Butcher and Rouse, 1996). Greene (2000) provides an exten-
sive review of the MMPI-2's validity and notes that the interpretation of one's scores from this inventory
may be affected by age, gender, educational level, or ethnicity.
The MMPI-2 is composed of 567 statements, which are written at the sixth-grade level. Respondents
answer each using the choices “true,” “false,” or “cannot say.” The entire questionnaire typically can be
completed in 60 to 90 min. Scoring of the MMPI-2 not only determine one's truthfulness and test-taking
motivation but also evaluates the individual on ten clinical scales. Each of these scales, along with their
abbreviation and a brief description, is listed in Table 25.1. As this table shows, the ten scales of the
MMPI-2 assess major categories of psychopathology. Scale 1 (hypochondriasis) distinguishes people
having legitimate physical ailments from those with nonspecific complaints regarding body functioning.
Scale 2 can assess individuals along the continuum from low morale to clinical depression. Hysteria (scale
3) is used to determine reactions to stressful situations. The psychopathic deviate scale (4) identifies one's
tendency to accept authority or become more rebellious. Scale 5 (masculinity-femininity) relates to
sexual concerns and problems. Paranoia scores (scale 6) reflect an individual's level of rigidity in opinions
TABLE 25.1
Scales of the MMPI-2
Scale Name, Number, and Description
Abbreviation
Hypochondriasis (1)
Hs
An excessive preoccupation with one's health and bodily functioning
Depression (2)
D
A condition of emotional withdrawal, dejection, hopelessness, and general
dissatisfaction
Hysteria (3)
Hy
An emotional outburst often associated with laughter, weeping, or irrational
behavior
Psychopathic deviate (4)
Pd
A feeling of social maladjustment, combined with an absence of pleasant
experiences
Masculinity-Femininity (5)
Mf
Reflects one's interests in hobbies, vocations, and esthetics, and personal
sensitivity
Paranoia (6)
Pa
Excessive mistrust of others and interpersonal sensitivity
Psychasthenia (obsessive-compulsive disorder) (7)
Pt
The inability to resist specific actions or thoughts regardless of their nature
Schizophrenia (8)
Sc
A pattern of disorganized behavior and speech, as well as bizarre thought
processes such as delusions and hallucinations
Hypomania (9)
Ma
Characterized by overactive behavior and an elated but unstable mood
Social introversion (10)
Si
One's level of comfort with social situations and interactions
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