Page 379 - Understanding Psychology

Figure 13.14 MMPI Scales
The MMPI is a true-false self-questionnaire that is designed to assess major patterns of personality and emotional disorders. Clinical scales identify the specific areas whose content includes ref- erences to a specific disorder. Validity scales assess whether the test taker was lying or faking answers. Why is the MMPI considered an objective test?
Clinical Scales High score indicates that the test taker:
Hs–Hypochondriasis D–Depression Hy–Conversion Hysteria Pd–Psychopathic Deviate Mf–Masculinity-Feminity Pa–Paranoia Pt–Psychasthenia Sc–Schizophrenia Ma–Hypomania
Si–Social Introversion
expresses stress in physical terms
experiences depression and hopelessness
expresses emotion without insight
is maladaptive and fights authority
rejects, confuses, or questions traditional gender roles has a tendency to misinterpret others’ motives
worries obsessively
has a situational problem, not necessarily schizophrenia has too much energy and is unable to get anything done is withdrawn
Validity Scales
?–Question L–Lie
F–Infrequency
K–Correction
Corresponds with the number of items left unanswered
Some individuals fail to truthfully mark items and describe someone whom they envision as having a perfect personality
Some individuals are unwilling to cooperate with the test instructions and mark items in a random manner; others exaggerate their difficulties to get special attention
Some individuals deny certain characteristics about themselves and their families and so slant their answers to hide something
The subject of thousands of studies, the MMPI has been one of the most frequently used psychological tests (Lubin, Larsen, & Matarazzo, 1984). The MMPI-2 includes revisions aimed at modernizing the lan- guage, removing sexist terms or phrases, and adding items reflecting current issues such as Type A personalities, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, eating disorders, and suicide. The test can also differentiate common demeanors such as extraversion-introversion and assertiveness. Most psy- chologists believe that scores on the MMPI-2 should be supplemented and confirmed with interviews and observation for proper diagnosis. The test is best for diagnosing extreme cases of psychological disorders.
Chapter 13 / Psychological Testing 365