The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
PSYCH/ 525
February 24, 2014
Christa Washington
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
Psychiatrist J.C. McKinley and psychologist Starke R. Hathaway are responsible for the creation of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory at the University of Minnesota in the late 1930s. The MMPI-2 is one of the common personality tests in the practice of psychology still in integration today. The United States have continuously integrates this test since the middle of the late century, however today this test is relevant all over the world. It is also one of the most used instruments for clinical testing and the most researched on psychological tests that exists. Given this test’s strong empirical tradition as well as many innovations, MMPI-2 offers a robust measure. This standard of psychological assessment has seen several controversial changes in recent years. In 2003, new scales were added to the MMPI-2, that is, the RC or Restructured Clinical Scales, with the Fake Bad Scale (FBS) being included in 2007. This inventory was restructured in 2008, the MMPI-2 Restructured Form, with the RC Scales added to replace the well validated MMPI-2 Clinical Scales. Up to 40 percent of the items in the former instrument were eliminated. A shortened FBS was included and most of the test’s 50 scales introduced (Butcher and Williams, 2000).
Uses and Purposes
While it is not a perfect test, the MMPI is recognized as a valuable tool for diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. The assessment instrument is commonly used by professionals in mental health provision to assess and diagnose mental illness. The instrument is also used in other fields such as criminal justice and custody disputes. It has been used as a screening instrument in several professions especially in high risk occupations such as policing, firefighting, and piloting. However, the use of MMPI-2 in this manner has been...