Faking good and bad adjustment on the MMPI and overcontrolled-hostility in maximum security psychiatric patients.

25 male patients (mean age 29 yrs) in a maximum security psychiatric hospital were administered the MMPI under each of 3 sets of instructions—honest, fake-good adjustment, and fake-bad adjustment. As in an earlier study with inmates by P. Gendreau et al (see record 1973-30226-001), it was found that Ss were able to fake both good and bad adjustment, but that various faking indices were reasonably accurate in detecting both. Overcontrolled-hostility (OCH) scale scores were related to scores on the faking indices, suggesting that high OCH scores may indicate a desire to appear normal on psychological testing. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)