NCJ Number
200414
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2003 Pages: 57-60
Date Published
2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between the prehiring scores on the L scale of the MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2) and the performance of 938 officer candidates who were conditionally hired over a 1-year period in Louisiana.
Abstract
MMPI-2 L scale scores apparently should have value as a predictor of problematic behavior in police officers based on the descriptors of high L scorers provided by Graham (2000). He describes high L scorers as trying to create a favorable impression of themselves by not being honest in responding to the items of the MMPI-2. They are defensive, denying, and repressing and tend to claim virtues to a greater extent than most people, and they have little or no insight into their own motivations. Further, they show little awareness of the consequences to other people of their own behavior and have poor tolerance for stress and pressure. Still, they appear normal. For the sample of 938 officers conditionally hired, data were available on 51 performance criterion variables related primarily to judgmental errors, impulsive behavior, and conduct mistakes. In order to determine the relationship of the L scale and the performance criterion variables, a bivariate Pearson r correlation matrix was developed between the L raw and T scores of the MMPI-2 and the performance criterion variables. The findings indicate that officers with higher L scale scores were much more likely to be terminated by a police department. The authors advise that any candidate who scores 8 or more on the L scale of the MMPI-2 should be scrutinized carefully. 1 table and 9 references