


These questions were then given to people suffering from a variety of psychological disorders and to a group that did not suffer from any disorder. The MMPI developed from hundreds of true/false questions that were felt would be useful in identifying personality dimensions. This test currently has two versions in operation, the original being the MMPI which was developed during the 1940s and is still in use. It simply measures where an individual falls on 10 different mental health scales in order to diagnose the patient and get them the proper treatment they need. Unlike other personality tests, the MMPI was not based on any particular prevailing theories about personality, such as the five-factor model or 16 personalities. McKinley at the University of Minnesota, and it was first published in 1943.īecause this tool is unique in that it is created to measure psychopathology specifically, as opposed to simply assessing anyone’s personality, in order to develop the instrument, the team constructed clinical scales that were endorsed by patients who had been diagnosed with certain mental disorders (Hathaway & McKinley, 1940). This test was first developed in 1939 by clinical psychologist Starke Hathaway and neuropsychiatrist J.C. The MMPI is probably the most widely used multidimensional tool to help diagnose mental health disorders.

This test has multiple versions, contains hundreds of questions, and has been around for decades. It is administered by a trained psychologist or mental health professional who relies upon a series of 10 clinical scales in order to diagnose a patient with mental health or other clinical issues. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a psychological tool used to assess personality traits and different forms of psychopathology. Scholars have observed unfair racial disparities in scoring the test, and others argue that some of the scales are not scientifically valid. Nevertheless, it does not come without its criticisms. The MMPI-2 is one of the most widely used psychological tools – from treatment plans and the hiring process to law enforcement and marital counseling.However, there is also a content scale to help provide insight into specific types of symptoms and many other supplemental scales to help increase the validity of this tool.

