Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory- 2

1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory- 2 Introduction and Overview

2. History • First published in 1943 • Designed for routine diagnostic assessments • Empirical criterion-keying approach • 724 Minnesota “normals” and 221 psychiatric patients • 504 statements • Originally 8 clinical scales plus validity scales • MF and Si added later (items increased to 566)

3. History (cont.) • Revised version is the MMPI-2 (1989) • inadequate original standardization sample • objectionable items, concerns about item content • not broad enough to assess certain characteristics like suicide and drug abuse • Normative sample (MMPI-2) • 2600 U.S. residents aged 18-90 (census derived) • Separate forms for adolescents and adults

4. History (cont.) • Most frequently used personality test in the US for adults and adolescents • The most researched personality test (over 12,000 articles, translated into 150 languages)

5. MMPI-2/MMPI-A • 567 true/false items • Administration time is approximately 1 to 1.5 hours • Must be interpreted by qualified professionals • For use with individuals 18 years and older • Original 10 clinical/personality scales and original 3 validity scales and added 4 validity measures.

6. Sample Test Items • I wake up fresh & rested most mornings • I think I would like the work of a librarian • I am easily awakened by noise • I like to read newspaper articles on crime • My hands and feet are usually warm enough • My daily life is full of things that keep me interested • I am about as able to work as I ever was • I am sure I get a raw deal from life

7. Sample Test Items • There seems to be a lump in my throat much of the time • A person should try to understand his dreams and be guided by or take warning from them • I enjoy detective or mystery stories • I work under a great deal of tension • I have diarrhea once a month or more • Once in a while I think of things too bad to talk about

8. Clinical Scales • Scale 1. Hypochondriasis (Hs) • high concern with illness and disease • complain about a variety of physical problems and attempt to manipulate/ control others with complaints • Scale 2. Depression (D) • High scorers report feelings of depression, sadness, feeling blue, unhappiness, hopelessness about future • Display behaviors like lack of energy, anhedonia, crying, psychomotor retardation

9. Clinical Scales • Scale 3. Hysteria (Hy) • To identify patients who have hysterical reactions to stress • Higher scores = exaggeration of denial, somatization, dissociation, immaturity, naïvete, low levels of insight • Scale 4. Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) • Measure of rebelliousness • Difficulty incorporating values and standards of society, problems with authority • May engage in asocial or antisocial acts

10. Clinical Scales • Scale 5. Masculinity-Femininity (Mf) • Originally developed to identify homosexual males • High scores for men - lack of stereotypic masculine interests, aesthetic and artistic interests, participate in child-rearing, housekeeping activities • High scores for women are uncommon and usually indicative of rejection of traditional female role • Scale 6. Paranoia (Pa) • Designed to identify patients judges to have paranoid symptoms like feelings of persecution, grandiose self-concepts, suspiciousness, excessive sensitivity

11. Clinical Scales • Scale 7. Psychasthenia(Pt) • Similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder • Thinking characterized by excessive doubts, compulsions, obsessions and unreasonable fears • Scale 8. Schizophrenia (Sc) • Possibility of a thought disorder (T=75-90) • Confusion, disorganization, disorientation, unusual thoughts, attitudes, • Delusions, hallucinations may be present

12. Clinical Scales • Scale 9. Hypomania (Ma) • Designed to identify individuals experiencing hypomanic or elevated mood, accelerated speech and motor activity, irritability, flight of ideas and brief periods of depression • Scale 0. Social Introversion (Si) • High scorers are socially introverted, insecure and uncomfortable in social situations • Shy, reserved, timid • Prefer to be alone and have few friends

13. Validity Scales • Cannot say (?) scale • Lie (L) scale • F (Infrequency) scale • Fb (Back F) scale • K (defensiveness) scale