[MMPI]

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

[ About the Author ]
● Starke R. Hathaway, a clinical psychologist
● J. Charnley Mckinley, neuropsychologist
● “An objective aid in the routine psychiatric case work-up of
adult patients and as a method of determining the severity
of the conditions”
● They used an empirical test construction technique to
develop the MMPI
[ Target test takers ]
● 16 years old and above
● Most widely used objective measure for personality and
psychopathology
● Used in clinics and hospitals/ general medical settings
● Inmates in correctional facilities
● Military personnel
● Candidates for positions involving high stress and
responsibility for public safety
 [ Purpose of the Test ]

Screen personality and psychosocial disorders in adults

and adolescents age

Frequently administered as part of a neuropsychological

test battery to evaluate cognitive functioning
 [ Description of the Test ]

● 566 questions
● True/ False/ Can’t say
● Includes omitted items
● 3 validity scales
 [ Validity Scale ]
L scale

■ High L score- person trying to create a favorable

impression, rigid, moralistic, overestimates self,
excessive used repression and denial, poor
tolerance to stress and pressure, unoriginal in
thinking, little awareness of the consequences of
his own actions.
■ Low L score- honest, functions effectively as a
leader, communicates ideas effectively, confident
about self to admit minor faults
 [ Validity Scale ]
F scale

■ High F score- responded to item in a random way,

has paranoia, hallucinations or delusions, poor
judgement, short attention, lack of insight,
psychosis, or can be answered all items true, faking
bad response, or responds to items in a random
way
■ Low F score- tried to fake a good profile, free of
psychopathology, socially conforming
 [ Validity Scale ]
K scale

■ High K score > 70 - fake answers, false to most

items, trying to appear effective and efficient, shy
and inhibited, fearful and lack of emotional
involvement
■ Average scores(55- 70) indicates independent,
intelligent, self reliant, clean thinking and
enthusiastic, well adjusted emotionally and
psychologically
■ Low scores <55- responded true to most items,
dissatisfied, ineffective, lack of insight, socially
controlling, suspicious, acute psychotic or organic.
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Hypochondriasis (H)

■ Consists of 33 items & it was originally designed to

distinguish hypochondriacs from other types of
psychiatric patients
■ High scorers- show not only a high concern with
illness and disease, but also are likely to be
egocentric, immature, pessimistic, sour, whiny, and
passive- agressive
■ Low scores- absence of physical complaints and
health-related
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Depression (D)

■ Consists of 60 items that are organized around the

areas of brooding, physical slowness, subjective
feelings of depression, mental apathy, and physical
malfunctioning
■ Moderate elevations on 2 might suggest a
depression
■ Low scores- indicate not only an absence of
depression, but that person is likely cheerful,
optimistic, alert, active, and spontaneous
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Psychopathic Deviant (Pd)

■ Consists of 50 items that is to assess the person’s

general level of social adjustment
■ High scores- typically have problems with persons
in authority, frequent marital and work difficulties,
and poor tolerance for boredom. Extremely high
scorers might be aggressive or even assaultive
■ Score <45- reflect persons who are over controlled,
self- critical, rigid, conventional, and over identified
with social status
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Masculinity/ femininity (Mf)

■ Consists of 55 items & it was originally designed to

identify males who wre having difficulty with
homosexual feelings and gender identity confusion
■ High scores for males have traditionally been
interpreted as suggesting that they are likely to be
undemanding, sh, emotional, curious, and creative
with a wide range of intellectual interests
■ Low scoring males will be domineering and
impersonal. Their interests might be somewhat
narrow, and they will lack originality
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Masculinity/ femininity (Mf)

■ High scoring females would be endorsing

traditionally masculine interests and activities
■ Low scoring females would be tender, emotional,
have a balanced view of gender-role behavior;
express aesthetic interests; and be capable,
competent
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Paranoia (P)

■ Consists of 40 items and is designed to identify persons

with paranoid conditions or paranoid states. It measures
areas such as ideas of reference, delusional beliefs,
pervasive suspiciousness, feelings of persecution,
grandiose self- beliefs and interpersonal rigidity
■ Extremely high scores indicate persons who are highly
suspicious, brooding, resentful and angry
■ Most persons with low scores are described as being quite
balanced, lacking in a sense of conscience, self- centered,
effectively in control of their emotions, and have a narrow
range of interests
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Psycho- asthenia (Pt)

■ Contains 48 items and were originally designed to

measure syndrome of psychasthenia. It consisted of
compulsions, obsessions, unreasonable fears, and
excessive doubts
■ Elevations suggest persons who are apprehensive, orrying,
perfectionistic, and tense, and who may have a wide
variety of superstitious fears
■ Low scorers are likely to be relaxed, warm, cheerful,
friendly, alert and self- confident
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Schizophrenia (Sc)

○ Consists of 78 items & it was originally designed to identify persons

who were experiencing schizophrenic or schizophrenic-like
conditions
○ A high score suggests persons who have unusual beliefs, are
unconventional, and may experience difficulties concentrating and
focusing their attention
○ Low score- cheerful, good- natured, friendly, trustworthy and
adaptable
 [ Clinical Scale ]
Social Introversion (Si)

■ Consists of 46 items
■ Originally developed to identify persons experiencing
hypomanic symptoms. These symptoms might
include cyclical periods of euphoria, increased
irritability, egotism, and expansiveness.
■ Extremely high scores are suggestive of a moderate
manic episode
■ Low scorers are likely to have low levels of energy and
activity
 [ Additional Scale ]

○ Anxiety(A) scale
○ Repression(R) scale
○ Ego strength(Es)
○ MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale(MAC)
 [ Administration ]

■ No time limit
■ No right or wrong answer
■ Can be given to individual or group
■ Approximately 60 mins to 90 mins
■ Scored by hand or computer
■ Must be interpreted by qualified professionals
■ Can break test session into shorter segments -
administer first 399 items
 [ Reliability ]

● The MMPI’s test-rest reliability is recorded as .50 to

.80 where the first scale, Hypochondriasis has the
highest reliability
 [ Scoring ]

● Hand scoring- use scoring key appropriate to

individual’s gender
● Raw scores for each scale are converted to T score by
means of profile form which are separate from males
and females
 [ Interpretation ]

● Scores between 45- 70 are taken as normal or indicative

of absence of that particular pathological trait
● It is desirable to know the age, sex and socioeconomic
status of subject and wether belongs to any minority
culture. Any of these factors may cause elevations of
some scales and should not be taken as pathological in
that cases