1. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory -2
Kristen Adkins
Wake Forest University Department of Counseling
ABSTRACT
PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES
DISCUSSION
The Back Side F Scale [F(B)]: To detect responses to items at the end. Valid if T<89
The Psychiatric Infrequency Scale [F(p)]: Compares to psychiatric patients and are very unlikely to occur. High score tells that the person claims more symptoms than people currently hospitalized.
The Lie Scale (L): 15 items selected on face validity. The individual claims to have a great deal of virtue and present themselves more favorably to others.
The Subtle Defensiveness Scale (K): Indicator of invalidity and as a means of correcting for test defensiveness. Defensive profiles are T>70
The Superlative Self-Presentation Scale (S): 50-item defensiveness scale assess the tendency of some test-takers to claim to claim extremely positive attributes, high moral values, and high responsibility and to deny adjustment problems. T>65 suggest that the client may not be open to behavioral change in therapy
Clinical Scales
Scale 1: Hypochondriasis (Hs)
Scale 2: Depression (D)
Scale 3: Hysteria (Hy)
Scale 4: Psychopathic Deviate (Pd)
Scale 5: Masculinity-Femininity (Mf)
Scale 6: Paranoia (Pa)
Scale 7: Psychasthenia (Pt) *Obsessive-Compulsive*
Scale 8: Schizophrenia (Sc)
Scale 9: Mania (Ma)
Scale 10: Social Introversion (Si)
(Hathaway, McKinley, & Butcher, 1992)Butcher & Perry, 2008; Hays, 2013)
Creation of Population Norms:
A large, nationally representative sample of subjects was randomly solicited from several regions of the United States to serve as the normative population.
T-score transformations were developed based on the normative sample (1,138 males and 1,462 females) that closely approximated the 1980 Census in terms of age, gender, minority status, socioeconomic status, and education
T-score ranges:
T scores have the same meaning across the clinical scales.
Clinical research has shown that interpretations of the clinical scales are significant at T > 65.
Research on the utility, validity, and reliability of the MMPI-2 since publication in 1989 has been overwhelmingly positive. Numerous studies have confirmed the validity of clinical scales and code types. (Butcher & Perry, 2008)
The MMPI-2 Contain Internal Validity Scales
“Cannot Say (?)”: 30+ unanswered question in the first 370 questions invalidates the test.
True Response Inconsistency Scale: 20 pairs two true or two false is semantically inconsistent. Very high scores reflect a tendency to ‘nay-say’ or ‘yea-say’
Variable Response Inconsistency Scale: 49 pairs of items of which 1 or 2 of the possible configurations (T-T, T-F, F-T, F-F) are semantically inconsistent. Used with F to rule out the possibility of random responding or confusion.
Infrequency (F): Devised to measure the tendency to admit to a wide range of psychological problems or to “fake bad.” Typically clinicians do not consider assessments invalid until T=90. In some settings higher may be allowed (e.g., inpatient intake.)
The MMPI-2 is the most frequently administered objective personality test in the United States. It is also one of the most widely research. The normative sample was developed from an approximation of the 1980 Census. The MMPI-2 is interesting as an assessment because of the internal measures of validity. In addition, numerous studies have confirmed the validity of clinical scales and code types. The MMPI-2 is unable to classify individuals into psychiatric categories accurately, but using the ten clinical scales clinicians can determine personality and behavioral clues.
INTRODUCTION
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was first introduced in the 1940s. By 1959, it was in the top 10 psychological test and the only objective personality assessment instrument considered a top psychological test.
The MMPI was the focus of extensive research interest, much of which focused on researchers use of MMPI results to increase understanding of clinical phenomena. Research interest into the test instrument and external correlates and validity abound. (Hathaway, McKinley, & Butcher, 1992)
Like the MMPI, the MMPI-2 released in 1989 has proven to be prolific in use and well researched. (Butcher & Perry, 2008; Hays, 2013)
Some factors can account for the MMPI-2 appeal: (Butcher & Perry, 2008)
The profile provides the clinician a visual representation of important personality information and supplies extensive normative and clinical data for profile interpretation.
It provides an objective evaluation of the client’s personality characteristics
Cost effective: administration and scoring can be done by administrative staff. Clinician time is only necessary interpretation.
Administration, scoring, profile plotting, and some interpretation can be done entirely by computer.
It is the easiest clinical personality tests for students and professionals to learn. There is a plethora of published materials on interpretation available at little or no cost.
It is important to remember that the MMPI-2 cannot classify individuals into psychiatric categories with high accuracy, but it is useful in providing descriptions of personalities and behavioral clues. (Hays, 2013)
There are six clinical applications of the MMPI-2
Assessment of self-presentation
Assessment of severity and chronicity of disturbance
Assessment of clinical syndromes
Assessment of symptomatic status
Assessment of personality and social functioning
Assessment of personality change and suitability for psychotherapy (Nichols & Kauffman, 2011)
The MMPI-2 is useful to counselors because it assesses many facets of personality and psychopathology. It gives the counselor a window into the client’s worldview, and it can be an excellent source of feedback information that the counselor can use to help clients understand themselves. Moreover, because the MMPI-2 was not designed around a theoretical orientation, it can be useful to many counselors. (DeLamatrez & Shuerger, 2012)
As counselors, it is important to remember that there are potential issues of ethnic, racial, and possibly, gender bias with the MMPI-2. At the least, it is not representative of the population of the United States or of the other countries in which is given. At worst, there are systematically biased criterion measures. Since the MMPI-2 is used for child custody, legal, occupational, medical, and mental health sectors, such a bias could have a far-reaching impact.(Hill, Pace, & Robbins, 2010; Hill, Robbins, & Pace, 2012)
At the same time, the MMPI-2 is a useful and well-research assessment with many resources available for counselors. The MMPI-2 includes many Supplemental and Research Scales that may be useful in counseling. These scales include Ego Strength, Over-Controlled Hostility, Marital Distress, Substance Abuse Scales, and Content Scales. (DeLamatrez & Shuerger, 2012)
The MMPI-2 is a powerful resource for counselors, but like all resources, it must be used carefully and not as a replacement for learning about the client. It should be seen as a tool of clarification and not a first action.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESS
Strengths
Large literature on the empirical correlates of items, scales, and profile patterns.
Initial normal standardization sample was large, ethnically, geographically, and socioeconomically diverse in accordance with 1980 census data
Developed from methods emphasizing test validity and the statistical separation of criterion from the reference group.
Assessment is easy to administer, taking only 1-2 hours and is available in multiple formats.
Objective scoring
Because the test has not changed, it is possible to reflect bot continuity and change in symptoms and personality.
Validity, especially convergent validity has been shown to be high in over thousands of studies. Incremental validity is modest but consistent.
Assessment is possible for both abnormal and normal population for a very broad range of attributes traits, and behaviors.
Availability of measures, which in combination, allow for a relatively precise specification of the examinee’s test-taking attitude.
Availability of interpretive procedures that emphasize individual scales, profile patterns, and item content. (Nichols & Kauffman, 2011)
Weaknesses
The original criterion groups are now dated
The normal standardization sample is based on a population that is no longer representative of the United States.
Inferential ambiguities regarding the probability versus the severity of disorder resulting from confounding categorical and dimensional models of measurement.
Substantial overlap between scales leading to an increase in their intercorrelations and lessening their discriminant validity.
The 1989 restandardization sample had high average educational and socioeconomic levels and may not adequately represent most consumers of mental health services.
The number scales and the complexity of some make scoring inconvenient, cumbersome, and time-consuming.
For greatest accuracy and utility, test-takers need a ninth-grade reading level and to be moderately cooperative to take the exam
The interpretive process and set of procedures and checks are more subtle, complicated, and demanding than the appearance of the inventory suggests. (Nichols & Kauffman, 2011)
Previous studies to determine multi-cultural bias have used extratest to try control for racial bias but have failed to account for systematically biased criterion measures.
There remains an assumption of universality. The MMPI-2 is used in countries all over the world without consideration for cultural, racial, or ethnic minority group differences.(Hill, Robbins, & Pace, 2012)
Mixed methods research found that MMPI-2 norms tended to overpathologize indigenous populations’ worldviews, beliefs, and behaviors. (Hill, Pace, & Robbins, 2010)
REFERENCES
Butcher, J., & Perry, J. (2008). Personality assessment in treatment planning New York: Oxford University Press.
DeLamatre, J. E., & Schuerger, J. M. (2012). The MMPI-2 in counseling practice. In C. E. Watkins, & V. L. Campbell, Testing and assessment in counseling practice (pp ). Oxford: Taylor and Francis.
Hathaway, S. R., McKinley, J. C., & Butcher, J. N. (1992.). Test review of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2. Retrieved from In J. J. Kramer & J. C. Conoley (Eds), The eleventh mental measurements.
Hays, D. G. (2013). Assessment in counseling: a guide to the use of psychological assessment and procedures (5th ed]. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Hill, J. S., Pace, T. M., & Robbins, R. R. (2010). Decolonizing Personality Assessments and Honoring Indigenous Voices: A Critical Examination of the MMPI-2. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology,
Hill, J. S., Robbins, R., & Pace, T. (2012). Cultural validity of the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory - 2 empirical correlates: Is this the best we can do? Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development,
Nichols, D. S., & Kauffman, A. S. (2011). Essentials of MMPI-2 Assessment. Hoboken: Wiley. ,
MULTICULTURAL PROBLEMS