1. William P. Wattles, Ph.D. Francis Marion University
MMPI-2
William P. Wattles, Ph.D.
Francis Marion University

2. ? (Cannot Say) Omitted items Encourage person to complete them
Up to 10 may still be valid above that a concern.
Scales are additive.

3. Infrequency Scale (F)
60 items answered in the significant direction by less than 10%
High scores suggest
Not cooperating
Reading difficulty
Exaggerating
Over 90 invalid, questionable

4. Infrequency Scale (F) 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)

5. 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

6. Lie Scale (L) 15 items At times I feel like swearing (F)
I do not always tell the truth (F)

7. 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

8. 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)

9. K correction
The text recommends “that K-corrected scores be used for most clinical purposes.”
Most research used k-corrected scores
K-corrected scores made lead to overestimates of deviance for persons who are not clients or patients.

10. K scores
High scores indicate defensiveness but moderate elevations suggest ego strength and psychological resources
Better educated persons tend to score higher
K-corrected scores not shown to be better.
Graham suggests k-correction will go away.

11. K scores
Caution should be used with normal samples when elevated scales attributable to K-correction.

12. VRIN Items have similar or opposite content.
Inconsistent responding. May have answered items indiscriminately.

13. VRIN 67 pairs I wake up fresh and rested most mornings
My sleep is fitful and disturbed

14. TRIN Made up of pairs opposite in content.
High suggests answering all true
Low suggests answering all false

15. 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.

16. Invalid protocols Cannot say >30 VRIN or TRIN ≥80 F or F(p) ≥100
Fb ≥ 110
L ≥ 80
K ≥ 75

17. Clinical scales Scale labels can be misleading.
Labels also outdated (i.e. psychasthenia)

18. Scale 1 Hypochondriasis
See themselves as physically ill and seek medical explanations
Stubborn, pessimistic, narcissistic, egocentric
Unhappy, whinny

19. 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!)

20. Scale 2 Depression Depressive symptoms, apathy, lethargy, brooding
Pessimism
Low energy

21. 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)

22. 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

23. 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)

24. Scale 4 Psychopathic Deviate
Difficulty incorporating the values of society
Alienation and relationship problems
Authority problems
Poor tolerance for boredom
Rebellious and blaming

25. 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)

26. 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

27. Scale 5 Items Female Both Male
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)

28. 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.

29. Scale 6 Paranoia Suspicious, vengeful, angry Feels mistreated
High scores may indicate psychotic thinking

30. 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)

31. Scale 7 Psychastenia Anxiety ruminative self-doubt
Psychological turmoil and discomfort
Anxious, tense, agitated

32. 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)

33. Scale 8 Schizophrenia Confusion, disorganization Unusual thoughts
Alienated, misunderstood
In psychological turmoil

34. 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)

35. Scale 9 Hypomania Manic, excessive purposeless activity Overactive
Energetic and talkative
Risk taking, impulsive
Low scores
Low energy and activity levels

36. 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)

37. Scale 0 Social Introversion
Socially introverted
Uncomfortable in group interactions
Possible Poor social skills
She, insecure
Low scores: sociable and extroverted

38. 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)

39. Code-type interpretation
Often more accurate and useful than individual scales.
Most appropriate when scales are above T=65

40. Supplementary Scales
Over 450 supplementary scales developed using factor analysis and intuitive procedures.

41. 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

42. 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)

43. R (Repression) High Scores Conventional, submissive people Low scores
Expressive, uninhibited

44. Es (Ego Strength) To assess ability to benefit from therapy
High Scores
Adaptability, resiliency, effective functioning
Low Scores
Inhibition, physical aliments, poor self-concept

45. 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

46. Content Scales Analysis of content More face validity Single dimension
Use to refine interpretations of clinical scales

47. Harris Lingoes subscales
Homogeneous content
Help clarify clinical scale observations
Constructed rationally by grouping items that seemed similar.

48. 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

49. Critical Items
Face validity
Low reliability

50. The End