MMPI Flashcards
VRIN Scale
Variable Responding
- Compares questions with similar content that should be answered the same way.
- Useful for interpreting F scale
- If low with a high F, probably really abnormal.
- If high with a high F, probably administration/clerical error
TRIN Scale
True Responding Checks a bias to respond true -Useful for interpreting F scale -If low with high F, really abnormal -If high with a high, probably administration/clerical error
F Scale
Faking bad
- Catches random responding, keyed off by a question, miscoring by the clinician
- Truly high pathology
High F
Less than 3% of population over 12, most should be 3-5
6-10: Neurotics and character disorders, maybe in-tact psychotics, good sealed-over paranoid
11-15: Very severe neurotic, psychotic individual
16-20: Totes psychotic
21+: The most psychotic or random/deviant response set.
“High Normals”: Critical, sarcastic, doubtful, intentionally unconventional, Bohemian/Progressive
-Most high normals score by answering unusual parental numbers.
L Scale
Lie Scale
-Presenting in a positive light
-1 or 2 may show perfectionism, 6+ pretty much lying
Mode = 0, 4 is high
High L
Highly conventional Strict moral code Slow, tense, passive, and insecure Lacking insight or intelligence Possibly living in poverty
Low L
Sarcastic Cynical Intelligent Comfortable admitting common faults Possibly exhibitionist Likely test-wise or knowledgeable with psychology
K Scale
Attitude of denying psychiatric symptoms
Denial of schizophrenia, cynicism, euphoria, hostility, tendencies to worry, and family problems.
Scales that are easy to fake don’t add K
High K
High ego strength
Not necessarily faking
Actually believing you are wonderful
Lying and denying pathology
Low K
Poor self-concept
F-K Ratio
F-K=+10 to -15 (Valid)
Admitting to F is admitting to pathology
F of 10 would be admitting large amounts of unusual experiences (drug history)
F of 0 would be a little odd to have
K+ Profile
No clinical scale outside of 40-65 range. K is elevated (20+) Fake good profile potentially -Shy -Defensive -Inhibited -Withdrawn
? Scale
Leaving out questions
- Psychopaths (Fuck these questions)
- Patterned blanks (Avoiding a topic)
Neurotic Triad
1: (Hs) Hypochondriasis
2: (D) Depression
3: (Hy) Hysteria
Scale 1 (Hs)
Hypochondriasis
25 hypochrondriacal questions, 8 suppressor questions
Lots of false negatives (low scores common)
Rarely find Pure Hypochondriac in-patients
Kind of an Optimism/Pessimism scale
High 1
High Hypochondriasis
Raw score of 6 is considered high
70+: Unambitious Unsmiling Insecure Worries Over concerned about health Egocentric Narcissistic Immature
Moderately High 65-70:
Wide range of interests, but tendency toward introversion
Insomnia, general unhappiness
Complaints of tension
Correlated with real physical illness
1-2
Elevated Hypochrondriasis and Depression
May indicate real illness
Hypochondriacs are not depressed about fake illnesses
If 2 is /low/ it may mean expressing depression in somatic terms
1-2-3
Always interpret 1, 2, and 3 together
Elevation of all three (or just 1 & 2) can be someone covering depression with physical symptoms
1-2-7 (College Female)
Hypochondriasis, Depression, and Pyschasthenia
Typical of home-sickness
Low 1
Low Hypochondriasis
Females: Education majors
Persuasive personalities
Scale 2 (D)
Depression
Least stable of MMPI scores
Depresion scale is easy to make, because depressives talk about being depressed.
Linear scale, average depression and mania at 50
Very common second number
Deals with discouragement, brooding, feelings of dullness
High D
High Depression
70+
Gets in the way of what you are trying to do
80+
Worried about rash actions, nothing can get done
90+
Psychotic depression (guilt-ridden, withdrawn)
Hard to treat because depressed about delusional thinking
Low D
Low Depression
Possibly manic
2-4
Depression and Psychopath
- Common in prison populations
- Could be a secondary psychopath
- Reactive depression
Scale 1 (D) Harris Lingo
D1: Subjective Depression (Feeling down, feeling blue)
D2: Psychomotor Retardation (Feeling slow)
D3: Physical Malfunctioning (Aches and pains)
D4: Mental Dullness (poor memory, difficulty concentrating)
D5: Brooding or Rumination