MMPI-2
William P. Wattles, Ph.D.
Francis Marion University
1
? (Cannot Say)
• Omitted items
• Encourage person to complete them
• Up to 10 may still be valid above that a
concern.
• Scales are additive.
2
Infrequency Scale (F)
• 60 items answered in the significant
direction by less than 10%
• High scores suggest
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Not cooperating
Reading difficulty
Exaggerating
Over 90 invalid, 70-90 questionable
3
Infrequency Scale (F)
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60 items
My sex life is satisfactory (F)
I have a cough most of the time (T)
Most anytime I would rather sit and
daydream than anything else (T)
4
Lie Scale (L)
• Minor flaws that most people are willing to
acknowledge.
• High scores
– Resistant confused
• Moderate scores
– Overly moralistic
• Low scores
– Normal or exaggerating
5
Lie Scale (L)
• 15 items
• At times I feel like swearing (F)
• I do not always tell the truth (F)
6
Correction Scale (K)
Characteristics many people prefer to deny
• High Scores
– Defensive, lack of insight
• Moderate
– Adaptive, self-reliant
• Low
– Fake bad, plea for help
7
Correction Scale (K)
• 30 items
• Often I can’t understand why I have been so
irritable and grouchy. (F)
• At times my thoughts have raced ahead
faster than I could speak them. (F)
8
VRIN
• Items have similar or opposite content.
• Inconsistent responding. May have
answered items indiscriminately.
9
VRIN
• 67 pairs
• I wake up fresh and rested most mornings
• My sleep is fitful and disturbed
10
TRIN
• Made up of pairs opposite in content.
• High suggests answering all true
• Low suggests answering all false
11
TRIN
• 23 pairs
• My daily life is full of things that keep me
interested.
• I wish I could be as happy as others seem to
be.
12
Invalid protocols
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Cannot say >30
VRIN or TRIN ≥80
F or F(p) ≥100
Fb ≥ 110
L ≥ 80
K ≥ 75
13
Clinical scales
• Scale labels can be misleading.
• Labels also outdated (i.e. psychasthenia)
14
Scale 1 Hypochondriasis
• See themselves as physically ill and seek
medical explanations
• Stubborn, pessimistic, narcissistic,
egocentric
• Unhappy, whinny
15
Scale 1 Items
• I am troubled by attacks of nausea and
vomiting (T)
• I have a good appetite (F)
• I wake up fresh and rested most mornings
(F)
• I seldom worry about my health (not on this
scale or 3!)
16
Scale 2 Depression
• Depressive symptoms, apathy, lethargy,
brooding
• Pessimism
• Low energy
17
Scale 2 Items
• I am easily awakened by noise (T)
• I am troubled by attacks of nausea and
vomiting (T)
• I have never vomited blood or coughed up
blood. (T)
• I enjoy many different kinds of play and
recreation (F)
18
Scale 3 Hysteria
• Denial of emotional or interpersonal
problems
• Lack of insight
• Physical symptoms as an excuse
• Need for acceptance and affection
• Seek simplistic, naïve, concrete solutions to
problems
19
Scale 3 Items
• I am troubled by attacks of nausea and
vomiting (T)
• I am almost never bothered by pains over
my heart or in my chest (F)
• I think a great many people exaggerate their
misfortunes in order to gain sympathy and
help of others. (F)
20
Scale 4 Psychopathic Deviate
• Difficulty incorporating the values of
society
• Alienation and relationship problems
• Authority problems
• Poor tolerance for boredom
• Rebellious and blaming
21
Scale 4 Items
• I wish I could be as happy as others seem t
be (T)
• I have not lived the right kind of life (T)
• I am easily downed in an argument (F)
22
Scale 5 Masculinity-Femininity
• Highs scoring males: aesthetic interests,
wide range of interests, passivity
• Low Scoring males, often domineering and
impersonal. Narrow interests lack
originality
23
Scale 5 Items
• Female
– I have never engaged in any unusual sex practices (T)
– I like to talk about sex (F)
• Both
– I enjoy reading love stories (T)
– I like poetry (T)
– My feelings are not easily hurt (F)
• Male
– I have never engaged in any unusual sex practices (F)
– I like to talk about sex (T)
24
Scale 5 Masculinity-Femininity
• High scoring females: rejection of
traditional female role
• Low Scoring females: stereotypically
feminine interests and roles. May adopt
passive, modest, constricted emotions.
25
Scale 6 Paranoia
• Suspicious, vengeful, angry
• Feels mistreated
• High scores may indicate psychotic thinking
26
Scale 6 Items
• I believe I am a condemned person (T)
• I am sure I am being talked about (T)
• I do not often notice my ears ringing or
buzzing (F)
27
Scale 7 Psychastenia
• Anxiety ruminative self-doubt
• Psychological turmoil and discomfort
• Anxious, tense, agitated
28
Scale 7 Items
• Once a week or oftener I become very
excited (T)
• Life is a strain for me much of the time (T)
• I like to study and read about things that I
am working at. (F)
• My memory seems to be all right (F)
29
Scale 8 Schizophrenia
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Confusion, disorganization
Unusual thoughts
Alienated, misunderstood
In psychological turmoil
30
Scale 8 Items
• I am afraid of losing my mind (T)
• I am worried about sex (T)
• My hands have not become clumsy or
awkward. (F)
• I have had no difficulty in keeping my
balance in walking (F)
31
Scale 9 Hypomania
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Manic, excessive purposeless activity
Overactive
Energetic and talkative
Risk taking, impulsive
• Low scores
• Low energy and activity levels
32
Scale 9 Items
• When I get bored I like to stir up some
excitement (T)
• It wouldn’t make me nervous if any
members of my family got into trouble with
the law (T)
• I am afraid when I look down from a high
place (F)
33
Scale 0 Social Introversion
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Socially introverted
Uncomfortable in group interactions
Possible Poor social skills
She, insecure
• Low scores: sociable and extroverted
34
Scale 0 Items
• I frequently have to fight against showing
that I am bashful (T)
• I wish I were not shy. (T)
• I do not have spells of hay fever or asthma
(F)
• I like to flirt (F)
35
Code-type interpretation
• Often more accurate and useful than
individual scales.
• Most appropriate when scales are above
T=65
36
Supplementary Scales
• Over 450 supplementary scales developed
using factor analysis and intuitive
procedures.
37
A (Anxiety)
High scores
• reflect distress, anxiety, discomfort and
general emotional upset.
• Indecisive, conforming, easily upset in
social situations
Low scores
• Energetic, competitive, socially outgoing
38
A (Anxiety) Items
• When in a group of people I have trouble
thinking of the right things to talk about. (T)
• I have often felt that strangers were looking
at me critically (T)
• I very seldom have spells of the blues (F)
39
R (Repression)
High Scores
• Conventional, submissive people
Low scores
• Expressive, uninhibited
40
Es (Ego Strength)
• To assess ability to benefit from therapy
High Scores
• Adaptability, resiliency, effective
functioning
Low Scores
• Inhibition, physical aliments, poor selfconcept
41
MAC-R (MacAndrew
Alcoholism)
• 49 items no obvious content relating to
alcohol . Over 28 strong suggestion
High scores
• General addiction proneness,
• Extroverted, exhibitionistic, risk taking
Low scores
• Shy, lacking in self-confidence
42
Content Scales
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Analysis of content
More face validity
Single dimension
Use to refine interpretations of clinical
scales
43
Harris Lingoes subscales
• Homogeneous content
• Help clarify clinical scale observations
• Constructed rationally by grouping items
that seemed similar.
44
Harris Lingoes subscales
• Small number of items
• Should only be used for scales above 65
• Should be used to explain elevations in
elevated clinical scales
45
Critical Items
• Face validity
• Low reliability
46
The End
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