MMPI 2 First 75 Questions out of 567 Psych Exam

[psych1]

Well I wrote Pearson and the APA and requested that your link be taken down back in January.  I'm actually sorry they are so slow. Red tape I guess...what can you do?.........

[Twoblock]

Mad Mikey

Where's your fighting spirit?  Put it up again and keep putting it up. Maybe some lawyer will see the violation of freedom of speach and expression. Like polygraphers, psyc 1 comes on here whining trying to save a rip-off industry. Keep putting it up and keep them busy here so they won't have time for rip-offs.

[Ed Earl]

Well I wrote Pearson and the APA and requested that your link be taken down back in January.  I'm actually sorry they are so slow. Red tape I guess...what can you do?.........

Psych1
Will knowing the questions in advance or understanding MMPI test structure significantly skew results?

Are you aware of any EFFECTIVE countermeasures to an MMPI test?
(by effective, I mean are there any known countermeasures for MMPI that reduce the test's ability to identify potential psychological problems or that would allow someone to conceal a psychological problem the test was designed to illuminate?)
OR
Would MMPI countermeasure attempts actually be more likely to indicate a problem area where perhaps none existed?

I am NOT asking you to provide any specific information that would possibly enable someone to attempt to tamper with MMPI test results.

[psych1]

see below

[psych1]

I'm not sure what you mean by "countermeasures"....but the MMPI has several embedded scales that tell psychologists if the individual has a tendebcey to respond a certain way. It suggests that they may be over pathologizing problems, or on the other hand, under reporting symptoms. This is done by using base rate sampling of item endorsements in both psychiatic and normative samples. Regression models are used to determine the probablity with which this sugestion becomes more and more likely.

Because the test was contructed using a empirical keying aproach to assess psychoapthlogy and personality constructs (very different from what most people think, which is "rational item selecton") it is difficult to tell which questions are keyed to which scale. So, no, having the questions themselves is not that big a deal. But combine it with a text book and way to score the thing, and it would be plausable that a person could practice everything enough to where they could successfully feighn a profile. However, going to this great of a length to feighn a profile means the person is either 1) so paranoid or 2.) has so much pathology to hide, (or thinks he does) how they would manage to cover up all this pathology during a clinical interview and/or on other measures is beyond me.  This behavior in and of itserlf suggests hypervigilance, lack of trust and confidence, and decpetive behavior that is contraindicated in being a law enforcement officer. Who knows what else this potential officer might fake, lie, or make up, right? I think most reasonable persons would agree to this as well.

The MMPI is not perfect, and results are always taken into account with a interview and complete history.

[Carroll]

I have been reading many many of your messages.  Personally, you all have scared me to death.  I have been referred to a neuropsychologist by my psychiatrist and neuroligist due to both long-term and short-term memory loss after 36 ECT treatments.  I saw him onThursday and testing was begun.  I brought the MMPI-2 home and completed it.  I answered the questions truthfully.  Now you all have me afraid of what I may be "labeled" as.  I am sure depression will show up as I am being treated for that but who knows what else it will show.  Should I be concerned about this test.  Does anyone have any suggestions for help for my memory problems?

[psych1]

im sorry, to hear about your problems. However, you docs seem to be reffering you appropriatley to get to the bottom of your problems. In neuropsych evals, the purpose of the MMPI is to claify what memory problems may be associated with psychaitric factors such as anxiety, poor coping skills, and depression. Several psychiatic illnessses such as severe depression, bipolar disorsder, and schizophrenia are associated with cognitive problems in and of themselves. The MMPI is not used to  label you, it is already quite clear you have had severe depression since you have had ECT treatments.  Again, its used parse out what is psychiatric and what is neurologic, and to see help clarify which one is contributing most  to your memory problems.

Please talk to the neuropsychologist about what can be done to help your memory problems.  I dont know the specifics of your case and it is unethical to commment or give medical, or mental health advise on this forum.

[Ed Earl]

This behavior in and of itserlf suggests hypervigilance, lack of trust and confidence, and decpetive behavior that is contraindicated in being a law enforcement officer. Who knows what else this potential officer might fake, lie, or make up, right? I think most reasonable persons would agree to this as well.  

Well said.  I think exactly the same statement would apply to anyone who attempted countermeasures on a pre-employment polygraph for a law enforcement agency.

[Carroll]

Thank you for your reply.  You are correct.  I have been suffering from severe depression since a serious auto accident which left me unable to work as a nurse any longer-something I dearly loved.  I completed a whole battery of tests the other day, which I could tell I did not do very well on.  I just wish there was an answer to solve my problem with my memory and I don't understand how the MMPI-2 plays a role in that.  I suppose to get a better view of the "total" me.  It is funny, I have gone from a college graduate to someone barely able to follow a recipe and must write notes for everything.  I lose things all the time and get lost in places I have always gone before.  Thanks for writing back.

[psych1]

Keep putting it up and keep them busy here so they won't have time for rip-offs.

Yes, yes..... Im sure all psychologists will come here to fight rather than designing new and better assesment measures or seeing their patients...lol.  Get real......

Sometimes when you dont understand a subject matter (i.e., psychometric theory, multivariate statisitics, personality assessment) its best to keep your mouth shut and defer the judegments to those who do, lest you look foolish. My mother taught me this at an early age. Just like tommy cruise....everyone wants to play amateur psychologist/psychiatist, right?

[vik]

also comical is the all mighty Quest for the "correct" answers.  there are no right answers.  there are no wrong answers.  kinda like answering the following questions;  

TRUE or FALSE:
eg.                   1.  my hair is auburn
                       2.  i have green eyes
                       3.  kittens are my favorite animal
                       4.  blue is the color is like best
                           

OF COURSE, there are right & wrong answers. The right answer is the one that the tester is looking for ... and the wrong answer is the one that pegs the person has having something "undesirable".

The actual test has no questions AT ALL along the lines of green eyes, favourite colour etc.  

Some of the actual questions are very obvious attempts to check if a person has psychiatric problems. Hence:
"Evil spirits possess me at times" True/False?

Now, it's pretty obvious that if you're applying for a job as a cop, then it's definitely the WRONG answer to say that you're possessed by evil spirts. This'll get you pegged as a lunatic & there's no way you'll get the job. Instead the best thing to do (even if you are actually possessed by spirits) is to answer False.

In some other circumstances, for example, when trying to plead "not guilty due to insanity" it would actually be the RIGHT answer to reply "True" to this question.

Other questions in the test are more subtle & the right or wrong answer is not immediately obvious ... but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

For example:
"I get angry sometimes." True/False?

Now, a normal person always gets angry "sometimes", so I suspect this question was put in as a control to see if a person is lying. So it may be the right answer to admit that "yeah, I do get angry sometimes".

The real check for anger management issues, I think, is other questions such as:
"Sometimes I get so angry and upset I don't know what comes over me." True/False?

Now, a "normal" person would get angry sometimes, but not to the extent of "losing control". So, the right answer here (for the cop interview, anyway) is to reply False.

trucker,  'tis true about the "stress factor".   & honesty.  honest answers work best.  as in the above examples, yes, you can look bad like answering TRUE to #2 when your eyes are blue.

anyhow, just remember, if taking the test~~~RelaX & be Honest.

No, honest answers do NOT work best if, for example, you really want that cop job to feed your family, but you suffer from occassional episodes of demonic possession.

If you want the job, then the only option is to lie through your teeth and claim to be just like "everyone else" ... not a saint (because that would show that you are lying) .... but just a normal "Joe Average".

Personally, I feel it WOULD be useful to go over the questions first, and think of what it is that "The Man" would be looking for as the "ideal" replies.

And I think it is precisely because of this empowerment, that the "The Man" is so afraid of the questions getting leaked & wants to keep them a secret.

[psych1]

And I think it is precisely because of this empowerment, that the "The Man" is so afraid of the questions getting leaked & wants to keep them a secret.[/quote]

Or we could be slightly more parsimonous here and say that perhaps it is because 1.) it's a copyright violation due to the fact that developing and norming the test was expensive and test companies would like to be able to pay for this process by actually sellng the test(much like a publishing company sells a book, rather than giving it away) 2.) to ensure the integrity of the test in order to minimize the likleyhood that some would attempt to develop amateurish scorring progams that can assist individuals in attemtping to succsfully feign profiles.  

I'm not sure about you, but this seems much more parsimonous and logical. However, I do understand that some people will always be distrustful of "The Man"...although I must admit, I've never been sure who this is actually reffering to. I've never thought of myself much as "the man" seeing as that I am a female  

[PsychStu]

I have to do some research on predicting behaviors...so I was wondering if you could e-mail me the rest of the questions for me to use as my instrument!! I would really appreciate it!!

[psych1]

No, because the test is copyrighted and it is against the law (and unethical) to copy or distribute it to the the lay public.  

As an aside...predicting behavior? The MMPI is notorioulsy poor at predicting anything except psychotherapy treatment outcomes. It's not even a very good predictor of job performance, although "mental health" taken as a whole tends to be powerful predictor. Psychologists, much less anyone else, are poor predictors of almost all complex human behavior variables, including violence, criminal recidivism, etc.  Meehl (1954) demonstrated the superiority of actuarial methods  over clinical judgment for predicting behaviors.... we have just been slow to accept this notion. If anyone was actually good at predicting behavior, then the controversy surrounding parole and "early release" programs would be significantly less.

What behavior(s) are you ypu interested in trying to predict anyway? The tool you choose to employ will depend on what behaviors/type of behaviors your interested in.

[mad Mikey]

Hi to all!!!

SUBJECT: SELF ADMINISTERED MMPI-2 TEST SITE:

On a serious note:  When I found the site listed below, it helped save the life of a person who did not know how to communicate the problems they had, as a result they suffered with schizophrenia for many years and was at the edge of doing injury to themselves and others. By helping get the test done and using myself as a 'Control' sample we printed out a result that helped prompt a 'Doctor' to finally do their job.

Since then, I have been a fan of the MMPI-2 test and the possibilities it has when used correctly. For us unwashed mortals it gives us at least an idea of where to look.

EVERYONE here should give 'PSYCH1' a swift kick in the @#% for protecting his turf above all else!!!  He has done a disservice to us all
by limiting access to knowledge with the excuse that MMPI-2 can be abused.  Anything can be abused, cars, booze, drugs, relationships, guns, power or knowledge - are we to live in the stone age 'pysch1'?

The MMPI-2 copyright protection psych1 refers to cannot be any greater then when it has been published in various books by Dr. James N Butcher himself (UM authority on MMPI-2).

LOOK UP  ISBN # 1-55798-182-5    (see pages 233 to 246)


RIP little buddy:
www.fixcas.com/scholar/mmpi.htm  ('thanks' to 'psych1')


......for now, Mad Mikey is a Saaaaaaad Mikey.....

try to keep smilin'!!!  (except psych1)