NCJ Number
223240
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 47 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 101-120
Date Published
2008
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes issues and research on the nature and utility of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scales.
Abstract
The report summarizes that while the evidence from forensic populations is limited, the balance of research on the validity of indicators of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) suggests that they are adequately sensitive to attempts both to over- and under-report levels of psychopathology. To contend with this response distortion from the original development of the MMPI-2, measures were incorporated to detect and account for this, as individuals could distort their responses to either appear more disturbed or less disturbed than was actually the case. The report acknowledges that the MMPI-2 is one of the most widely used psychological assessment instruments in forensic psychological assessment in the United States, including the evaluation of offenders for rehabilitation purposes. However, the test was not designed for use with offenders and much of the item content greatly predates the introduction of the concept of rehabilitation into the criminal justice system. Thus while the validity scales of the MMPI-2 can be very useful to the forensic psychologist, the remainder of the instrument may be of less utility. References