Issues In Forensic Psychology - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)

ISSUES IN FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)

For the assessment of general personality characteristics, the MMPI-2 is the most frequently used psychological test.
The original MMPI was developed in the 1930s and 1940s. Unfortunately, the normative sample for the original MMPI was limited. It did not correspond to the characteristics of the U.S. population.
The more recently developed MMPI-2, first published in 1989, has been standardized on a representative cross-section of the U.S. population.
The necessity for properly monitoring subjects taking any psychological test, including the MMPI-2, has been stated in clear and unambiguous terms -- "Failure to monitor the administration of a standardized test such as the MMPI-2 is in violation of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Professional Standards."
Too often, however, psychologists neglect to properly monitor the administration of psychological tests, particularly the MMPI-2. Some psychologists, for example, ask subjects to complete the MMPI-2 at their homes and then return it to the psychologist's office. This is a grossly inappropriate practice.
The validity scales of the MMPI-2 - the L-Scale, F-Scale, and K-Scale - assess the response set of the subject taking the inventory.
In particular, these scales assess whether a subject put forth an inordinate effort to: (1) portray oneself in excessively socially desirable terms, (2) claim an unusual frequency of problems and distress, and/or (3) persistently deny any problems or distress.
Unfortunately, however, the validity scales of the MMPI-2 are too often misinterpreted by psychologists. The L-Scale (or Lie Scale) is often presumed to correspond to a subject's general tendency to fabricate. Such interpretations, however, are exceedingly ill-informed.
Additionally, elevated levels of defensiveness on the MMPI-2 are commonly seen in child custody evaluations. Too many psychologists, however, neglect to consider how custody evaluations frequently provoke elevated levels of defensiveness.
The relevant research also demonstrates that using the MMPI-2 to: (1) identify subjects with substance abuse problems, and (2) predict future violence, is also ill-advised.

If you would like more information regarding the MMPI-2, you may want to order any, or all, of the following publications authored by Dr. Campbell.

The "highest level of psychological certainity:" Betraying standards of practice in forensic psychology. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 1992, 10 (2), 35-48. (Order article #2, Cost $10.00).

"Cross-Examining Psychologists and Psychiatrists as Expert Witnesses." This is a 79-page, single-spaced outline, containing 214 footnoted references. This outline is bound. (Order article #15, cost $59.00).

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