The 3-4/4-3 MMPI code type in an offender population: An update on levels of hostility and violence.

Levels of hostility and type of crime committed were compared in 94 male offenders with either 3-4 or 4-3 MMPI high point pairs and in 94 randomly selected offenders (mean age for all Ss 31 yrs) without these codes who were matched for race with the 3-4/4-3 group. The samples were drawn from all male offenders entering a state prison system over 5 yrs. Self-report measures included the MMPI, Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory, and Monroe Dyscontrol Scale. Multivariate and univariate analyses showed that those with 3-4 codes did not differ from those with 4-3 codes. Except for higher scores on Megargee's Overcontrolled-Hostility scale, the combined 3-4/4-3 offenders either did not differ from or scored lower than the comparison group on type of crime and all self-report measures of hostility, anger, episodic dyscontrol, and violence. Neither these results nor the majority of research on 3-4/4-3 profiles supports these codes as evidence of a proclivity for violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The MMPI and recidivism.

Compared MMPIs of 80 recidivists and 68 parole successes from a state training school by analyzing mean scale scores, elevations, code types, and mean ranks of the clinical scales. No important differences were identified. Conclusions are (1) the MMPI used alone is not useful in identifying recidivists in relatively homogeneous delinquent populations, (2) its use should be restricted to the exploration of small differences between groups, and (3) the combined use of historical information and the MMPI to identify recidivists needs study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the Megargee MMPI-based classification system with the MMPI-2s of female prison inmates.

This study extends Megargee's Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-based classification system to female offenders. MMPI-2s of 400 women in state and federal prisons were rescored and reconfigured to estimate their original MMPI profiles. Their MMPIs and MMPI-2s were classified according to the rules devised for the original MMPI. Next, the MMPI-2s were reclassified using new rules for classifying the MMPI-2s of male offenders. Neither approach led to satisfactory agreement between MMPI and MMPI-2. A major problem was that Scale 5 was more prominent in the women's MMPI-2 profiles than on their MMPIs. Using revised rules for classifying the original MMPIs and the MMPI-2s of female offenders, 386 of the 400 women (97%) could be classified on both versions of the MMPI, of whom 336 (87%) were classified identically. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability of MMPI configurations for psychiatric inpatients.

Investigated the stability of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) code types. Ss were 405 psychiatric patients (mean age 37 yrs) who had completed 2 valid MMPIs and some of whom had been rated twice on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Test–retest agreements for high-point, low-point, and 2-point codes were 42.72%, 43.95%, and 27.65%, respectively. Code types were somewhat more stable when scales in the codes had more extreme scores initially and when scores on the scales in the codes were considerably different from other scales in the profile. When MMPIs were classified as neurotic, psychotic, or characterological according to 2-point codes, many of the 2-point codes that changed from test to retest remained within the same diagnostic categories. For a subsample of 72 Ss, behavioral ratings of psychosis were compared with stability and change in 2-point code types. Results suggest that at least some changes in code types over time may be associated with meaningful behavioral changes. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodological issues and racial (black-white) comparisons on the MMPI.

Compared the MMPI profiles of 160 white and 160 black psychiatric patients matched for sex, socioeconomic status (education and occupation), hospital status, age, and duration of illness. Phase 1 analysis used all profiles, while Phase 2 (n = 116) was limited to valid profiles. Results show that (a) race was a primary source of variance, (b) dependent measures were not entirely comparable, and (c) application of selection criteria was a powerful parameter influencing outcome. Blacks elevated Scales F, 1, 5, 8, 9, and the overall profile mean, elevated Scale 8 as the highest and Scale 1 as the 2nd-highest code, and produced more 8-6 and 2-4 codes than whites. Whites elevated Scale 3 and 7 as the highest and 2nd-highest point codes, and produced 2-7 and 4-7 codes more frequently. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of the MMPI Pd scale among black males.

Conducted 3 studies to investigate the validity of the MMPI Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) and Pd + .4K scales in discriminating levels of social deviance among young black men. Study 1 established that 102 black inmates at a federal correctional institution had significantly higher scores on both scales than 120 culturally deprived black male university students. Study 2, using Ss from Study 1, demonstrated that (a) among the inmates recidivists had significantly higher scores than first offenders, and (b) among the students there were significant differences in the expected directions among subgroups differing in self-reported delinquency. Study 3 showed that the black Ss from Study 1 had higher scores than comparable samples of 60 white male college students and 51 white male prison inmates. It is concluded that Pd and Pd + .4K both validly differentiate levels of social deviance among young black men but that the norms for the scales appear to show racial bias. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the MMPI and the MMPI-2 for a sample of peace officers.

166 peace officers completed the MMPI and the MMPI-2 in one sitting. Results showed an overall concordance of 78% for the 2 tests when normal, high-point, and 2-point code types were grouped together and compared. A subset of well-defined profiles produced a concordance rate of 90%. Comparison of profile characteristics showed that half of the Ss produced the same high-point code type, one-third produced the same 2-point code type, 70% produced normal profiles on both tests, and all MMPI and MMPI-2 scales were highly correlated. These figures are highly similar to those found previously for 2 administrations of the MMPI. When the MMPI was compared to the MMPI-2 scored on original norms, 2 scales were found to differ significantly: Men and women both scored lower on Scale D (Depression) of the revised test; on Scale Mf (Masculinity-Femininity) of the MMPI-2, women scored higher and men scored lower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical correlates of frequently occurring two-point MMPI code types: A replicated study.

Examined whether (a) a relatively small number of 2-point code types could account for a large proportion of MMPI protocols in a psychiatric setting, and (b) reliable behavioral and demographic correlates of these 2-point code types could be identified. MMPI protocols of 588 hospitalized psychiatric patients were randomly divided into 2 subsamples. Within each, the profiles were classified according to 19 frequently occurring 2-point code types (identified in a pilot study), permitting classification of 84% of the 588 profiles. For each subsample, each code type was compared with the remaining Ss on 68 behavioral and demographic variables. Although 300 or more significant differences were found for the comparisons in each subsample, in only 66 instances were the same differences significant in both subsamples. The relevance of these findings to MMPI interpretational practices is discussed. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinicians' perceptions of the comparability of the MMPI and MMPI-2.

Determined whether experienced MMPI users perceive the MMPI and MMPI-2 as yielding clinically comparable results. Clinical psychologists (N?=?35) reviewed pairs of MMPI and MMPI-2 profiles derived from the same test responses and estimated that 92–96% of their diagnoses and 89–93% of their narrative interpretations would be essentially the same or only slightly different from one version of the instrument to the other, whereas only 0–3% of either their diagnoses or reports would be quite different. MMPI-2 profiles with poorly defined code types were likely to be viewed as somewhat different or quite different from the MMPI. Low-ranging MMPI-2 profiles were most apt to be poorly defined and, correspondingly, most likely to be viewed as different from the MMPI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of MMPI subtypes in predicting completion of a residential alcoholism treatment program.

To obtain data on patient characteristics relevant to treatment outcome, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to 86 men 3–5 days following their admission to a 30-day residential alcoholism treatment program. Cluster analyses yielded three subtypes whose mean MMPI code types were as follows: Type I comprised a 4-2-8 code type, with marked additional pathology; Type II comprised a 4-9/9-4 code type; and Type III comprised a 2-4/4-2 code type. The subtypes differed significantly in their rates of treatment completion, with Type II yielding a greater proportion of program dropouts. To investigate the effect of time of MMPI administration on subtype results, 68 subjects who remained in treatment were readministered the MMPI 14–26 days following admission. A comparison of Time 1 and Time 2 typologies highlights the importance of test administration time and provides some explanation for previous discrepant findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low base rates limit expert certainty when current actuarials are used to identify sexually violent predators: An application of Bayes's theorem.

The author applied Bayes's theorem to agewise sexual recidivism rates and the accuracy of high actuarial scores for predicting sexual recidivism in civil commitment cases. Recidivism rates consistently declined with age, paralleling the age-invariance pattern found for other offenders. Furthermore, actuarials were efficient for only the youngest group, were inaccurate for identifying recidivists, and misclassified many nonrecidivists as recidivists. Opinions about the accuracy of actuarials are therefore often wrong, and actuarials need to be reformulated. Finally, actuarials are useless for identifying likely sexual recidivists from populations with recidivism base rates below .25. Recommendations include seeking new trials in cases that overlooked age, focusing attention on young offenders, limiting commitment periods, and shifting resources from commitment centers to impact all offenders released to the community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality correlates of marijuana use among youthful offenders.

Recent personality research on collegiate marihuana users has not found the psychopathology noted in earlier studies conducted in prison settings, perhaps because of cultural changes or to more rigorous research methods. To determine whether a well-controlled, prison-based study would still show the users to be more disturbed, 4 groups of 24 18-28 yr old offenders differing in their use of marihuana were compared on the MMPI, California Psychological Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beta IQ test. It was found that nonusers and occasional users had typical criminal profiles, with the nonusers being somewhat more rigid and authoritarian and less intelligent or impulsive. Heavy users of marihuana plus other drugs were the most deviant of the 4 groups. Regular users of marihuana only were the best socialized and adjusted, although still more deviant than noninstitutionalized samples. The data were compared with data from previous studies, and the implications are discussed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Female criminal violence and differential MMPI characteristics.

Used a cross-validational approach to compare MMPI scale elevations and profile patterns produced by 22 female murderers and 40 female nonviolent offenders in 2 geographic regions. Ss did not differ between groups in race distribution, age, education, age at or months served on current offense, total time incarcerated, or intellectual level. Ss also completed the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale for Measuring Intellectual Impairment and the Raven Progressive Matrices. Murderers from both prison sources produced subdued group mean profiles, whereas nonviolent offenders were characterized by elevations on Scale 4. Discriminant function classification was highly dependent on scores on Scales 4, 5, K, and A and correctly identified 82% of violent and 78% of nonviolent offenders. A principal-components analysis yielded 5 components of profile types, but only the component defined by high positive loadings for Scale 4 differentiated between the groups. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI profile types of exposers, rapists, and assaulters in a court services population

Investigated and compared the MMPI profiles of 3 groups of men--36 exposers, 47 rapists, and 46 assaulters--who had been referred to and tested by a county court service. The most disturbed group, the rapists, had MMPI K -corrected mean raw scale scores that were significantly greater than those of the exposer group on F , Hs , D , Hy , Pd , Pa , and Sc and greater than those of the assaulter group on Pd , Pt , and Sc . There were no significant differences between the mean raw scale scores for the exposer and assaulter groups. Two-point codes were tabulated for each group, and the percentages of individuals within each group with the same 2-point codes were calculated. All of the Ss in each of the 3 groups were sorted into subgroups according to case disposition, and the MMPI raw mean scale scores were determined for these groups. The scores of individuals either incarcerated or put on probation were compared within each of the 3 groups. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence for the facilitated diffusion of glucose into rabbit oviductal fluid

The present study examined empathy and socialization in delinquent and nondelinquent juveniles. From 32 first offenders, 16 repeat offenders, and 19 normals who were administered Hogan's empathy scale and the socialization scale of the California Psychological Inventory, groups of 16 subjects matched on age and race were compared. Results indicated that the three groups did not differ on empathy but that each of the three groups differed on socialization. Results are discussed in terms of potentially identifying recidivists and the efficacy of therapist-trained empathy.     

Profile classification strategies for the Personality Inventory for Children.

Examined 2 profile classification strategies for use with the 12 clinical scales of the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC): reciprocal 2-point code types and code type factor clusters. The PIC profiles of 556 children, who comprised 6 of the criterion groups used in PIC scale development, and the 6–16 yr old normative sample (n?=?2,390) were classified by each system. Differences in frequencies across criterion groups of all the examined classification categories were significant and conceptually meaningful. Only 12% of the normative profiles had 2 or more PIC clinical scales with T scores greater than 69. Additional study of a heterogeneous sample of 691 child guidance protocols compared code type classification rates using traditional rules with a revised classification system based on previous actuarial study of individual profile scales. The possible interpretive significance of obtained sex and age differences in code type frequencies is discussed, as are proposed efforts to develop optimum code type interpretations. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Undergraduate MMPI profiles and the longitudinal prediction of adult social outcome.

Adult follow-up information on several social outcome variables was obtained for 94 males who had taken the MMPI during their junior years in college. Three groups were compared: Ss with undergraduate high-8 (Schizophrenia scale) MMPI profiles, high-4 (Psychopathic Deviate scale) MMPI profiles, and no-high-point MMPI profiles. Ss with undergraduate profiles indicative of psychopathology differed significantly in marital and educational status when compared to the no-high-point group 10 yrs later. Results suggest that undergraduate MMPI profile types indicative of psychopathy and schizophrenia are sensitive to some underlying predispositions even in a highly intelligent and college educated sample. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality characteristics of incarcerated speed abusers.

Compared the personality characteristics of 105 offenders, comprising 2 groups of speed users, a multidrug group and a nonuser group, on the MMPI. There were marked similarities in the MMPI profiles of these groups which did not support the claim that speed abusers have distinct personality traits. Also, the degree of drug use and situational-motivational variables were not related to MMPI profile elevation. Results are discussed in relation to other drug abuse personality research. Recommendations for future research are outlined. (French summary) (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variables associated with recidivism among juvenile delinquents.

Isolated variables which would discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists in a sample of formerly institutionalized juvenile delinquents. Institution case files were selected and compared for 100 male and 100 female 11-18 yr. old Ss, 1/2 of them recidivists. 34 family background and personality variables were compared, of which 7 significantly discriminated between recidivists and nonrecidivists, 10 between males and females, and 4 demonstrated Recidivism * Sex interactions. Recidivists got into trouble and were 1st institutionalized at younger ages, had lower estimated verbal intelligence, and were more frequently diagnosed as sociopathic personality. Females more frequently came from personally and socially disorganized families than did males. The findings underline the importance of considering sex differences in future research designed to predict juvenile recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)