2. Introduction
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed
in 1937 by clinical psychologist Starke R. Hathaway and
neuropsychiatrist J. Charnley McKinley at the University of Minnesota.
The goal was to develop an instrument that could be used as an
objective tool for assessing different psychiatric conditions and their
severity.
• 1100 original items and was cut down to 566 by the time it was first
published.
3. How the MMPI Is Used
The MMPI is most commonly used by mental health professionals to
assess and diagnose mental illness, but it has also been utilized in other
fields outside of clinical Psychology. The MMPI-2 is often used in legal
cases, including criminal defense and custody disputes.
The test has also been used as a screening instrument for certain
professions, especially high-risk jobs, although using it in this manner
has been controversial. It's also used to evaluate the effectiveness of
treatment programs, including substance use programs.
4. Taking the MMPI Test
The MMPI-2 contains 567 test items and takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes
to complete. The MMPI-2-RF contains 338 questions and takes around 35 to
50 minutes to finish. The MMPI-3 contains 335 self-report items and takes 25
to 35 minutes to administer by computer and 35 to 40 minutes to administer
by paper and pencil.
Additionally, the MMPI is copyrighted by the University of Minnesota, which
means clinicians must pay to administer and utilize the test.
The MMPI test should be used with other assessment tools as well. A diagnosis
should never be made solely on the results of the MMPI.
5. Types of MMPI Test
• MMPI-2: The revised edition of the test was released in 1989 as the MMPI-2.The test
received revision again in 2001 and updates in 2003 and 2009, and it's still in use today as
the most frequently used clinical assessment test.
• MMPI-2-RF: Another edition of the test, published in 2008, is known as the Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), an alternative to the
MMPI-2.
• MMPI-A: There is also an MMPI, published in 1992, that's geared toward adolescents aged
14 to 18 years old called the MMPI-A. With 478 questions, it takes about an hour to
complete.
• MMPI-A-RF: In 2016, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent-
Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF) was published. Like the MMPI-2-RF, it's shorter, with just
241 questions that take 25 to 45 minutes to answer.
• MMPI-3: The latest version of the instrument, MMPI-3, was released in 2020. The test
takes 25 to 50 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, and French for
Canada formats.
7. Featuring new English- and Spanish-language norms and updated items and scales, the
335-item MMPI-3 builds on the history and strengths of the MMPI instruments to provide
an empirically-validated, psychometrically up-to-date standard for psychological
assessment. The MMPI-3 provides a contemporary assessment for mental health,
medical, forensic, and public safety settings.
MMPI-3 Basic Information
- Test Authors: Yossef Ben-Porath, Ph.D., and Auke Tellegen, Ph.D.
- Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
- Distributor: Pearson Assessments
- Date of Publication: 2020
- Administration: Computer, CD, or paper-and-pencil
- Length: 335 True-False items
- Administration Time: 35-50 minutes
- Minimum Reading Level: 5th grade
- Age: 18 years and older
8. The 335 item MMPI-3 consists of 52 scales.
Validity
Higher-Order (H-O)
Restructured Clinical (RC)
Somatic/Cognitive
Internalizing
Externalizing
Interpersonal
Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5)
9. Validity Scales
CRIN
Combined Response Inconsistency — Combination of random and fixed inconsistent responding
VRIN
Variable Response Inconsistency — Random responding
TRIN
True Response Inconsistency — Fixed responding
F
Infrequent Responses — Responses infrequent in the general population
Fp
Infrequent Psychopathology Responses — Responses infrequent in psychiatric populations
Fs
Infrequent Somatic Responses — Somatic complaints infrequent in medical patient populations
FBS
Symptom Validity Scale — Non-credible somatic and cognitive complaints
RBS
Response Bias Scale — Exaggerated memory complaints
L
Uncommon Virtues — Rarely claimed moral attributes or activities
K
Adjustment Validity — Uncommonly high level of psychological adjustment
10. Higher-Order (H-O) Scales
EID
Emotional / Internalizing Dysfunction — Problems associated with mood and affect
THD
Thought Dysfunction — Problems associated with disordered thinking
BXD
Behavioral / Externalizing Dysfunction — Problems associated with under-controlled behavior
11. Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales
RCd
Demoralization (DEM) — General unhappiness and dissatisfaction
RC1
Somatic Complaints (SOM) — Diffuse physical health complaints
RC2
Low Positive Emotions (LPE) — Lack of positive emotional responsiveness
RC4
Antisocial Behavior (ASB) — Rule breaking and irresponsible behavior
RC6
Ideas of Persecution (PER) — Self-referential beliefs that others pose a threat
RC7
Dysfunctional Negative Emotions (DNE) — Maladaptive anxiety, anger, irritability
RC8
Aberrant Experiences (ABX) — Unusual perceptions or thoughts associated with thought dysfunction
RC9
Hypomanic Activation (HPM) — Overactivation, aggression, impulsivity, and grandiosity
12. Specific Problems (SP) Scales
Somatic/Cognitive Scales
MLS
Malaise — Overall sense of physical debilitation, poor health
NUC
Neurological Complaints — Dizziness, weakness, paralysis, loss of balance, etc.
EAT
Eating concerns — Problematic eating behaviors
COG
Cognitive Complaints — Memory problems, difficulties concentrating
Internalizing Scales
SUI
Suicidal/Death Ideation — Direct reports of suicidal ideation and recent
attempts
HLP
Helplessness/Hopelessness — Belief that goals cannot be reached or problems
solved
SFD
Self-Doubt — Lack of self-confidence, feelings of uselessness
NFC
Inefficacy — Belief that one is indecisive and inefficacious
STR
Stress — Problems involving stress and nervousness
13. WRY
Worry — Excessive worry and preoccupation
CMP
Compulsivity — Engaging in compulsive behaviors
ARX
Anxiety-Related Experiences — Multiple anxiety-related experiences
such as catastrophizing, panic, dread, and intrusive ideation
ANP
Anger Proneness — Becoming easily angered, impatient with others
BRF
Behavior-Restricting Fears — Fears that significantly inhibit normal
behavior
14. Externalizing Scales
FML
Family Problems — Conflictual family relationships
JCP
Juvenile Conduct Problems — Difficulties at school and at home, stealing
SUB
Substance Abuse — Current and past misuse of alcohol and drugs
IMP
Impulsivity — Poor impulse control and nonplanful behavior
ACT
Activation — Heightened excitation and energy level
AGG
Aggression — Physically aggressive, violent behavior
CYN
Cynicism — Non-self-referential beliefs that others are bad and not to be trusted
Interpersonal Scales
15. SFI
Self-Importance — Beliefs related to having special
talents and abilities
DOM
Dominance — Being domineering in relationships
with others
DSF
Disaffiliativeness — Disliking people and being
around them
SAV
Social Avoidance — Not enjoying and avoiding social
events
SHY
Shyness — Feeling uncomfortable and anxious in
the presence of others
16. PSY-5 (Personality Psychopathology Five) Scales
AGGR
Aggressiveness — Instrumental, goal-directed aggression
PSYC
Psychoticism — Disconnection from reality
DISC
Disconstraint — Under-controlled behavior
NEGE
Negative Emotionality / Neuroticism — Anxiety, insecurity, worry, and fear
INTR
Introversion / Low Positive Emotionality-Revised — Social disengagement and anhedonia
