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MMPI methodology
The SMIL methodology, which is currently one of the most significant and effective ways study of a person's personality, can rightfully be called the "heavy artillery" of psychodiagnostics. And the point is not at all that, according to experts who first encountered it, it takes a lot of time and effort. In fact, the process of passing the MMPI test online (you can take the MMPI test online with the transcript of the results on our website) takes no more than an hour for the test taker. At the same time, a specialist, who is allowed to be absent even at this time, only needs 10 minutes to process the information received. The attractiveness of this technique lies in the fact that the psychologist eventually receives a full-fledged portrait of the personality. He can clearly define its parameters such as:
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SMIL technique
SMIL or a standardized multivariate method for studying personality is a kind of modification of the MMPI test. The latter was created by American psychologists I. McKinley and S. Hathaway in 1942 - 1949 as a way to select pilots who took part in World War II. The essence of this technique was to gain access to a personal assessment of the situation by the pilot without taking into account his experience and subjective opinion. All responses received were distributed on 13 scales, where 3 of them were responsible for the reliability of the data provided, and 10 were basic. The latter, ranked in order from 1 to 10, determined the following:Interpretation of results
The SMIL profile is only a general outline of the personality basis, which undergoes changes depending on the social situation. In addition to analyzing the data obtained during the study, it is important to take into account such external factors of the test person as his biography, degree of education, track record, environment, and more.
Be that as it may, the norm is not the absence of some psychological characteristics, but their being in a state of balance. In other words, a person who has passed the MMPI test online (you can take the SMIL test online with a transcript of the results in just 1 hour) and classified as a “norm” in different situations can show completely different reactions to what is happening. So, he can be known as the soul of the company among people close and familiar to him and at the same time experience problems with establishing new contacts. He is able to zealously defend his opinion in the circle of professionals and to keep quiet in the presence of people who are not well versed in the subject and who are negatively disposed towards him. MMPI test online - pass the SMIL test online with a transcript of the results
Modern online questionnaires MMPI-SMIL are presented in several variations. So, the most complete of them involves getting answers to 500 questions and is conditionally divided into male, female and adolescent options. The difference between them is negligible and suggests only differences in some abbreviations and statements (about 65 questions). However, regardless of their type, any subject should undergo research in a calm, relaxing environment.Adaptation and re-standardization MMRI in domestic conditions was carried out by the author of this manual during 1968 - 1984. Much work has been done on the translation and adaptation of the text of the statements. The significance of some of them has pronounced differences depending on the cultural and ethnic characteristics of the population. We also studied the frequency of normative responses in a comparative analysis of American and Russian data. All this was taken into account when forming the final version. SMIL.
After all the changes, the results of a survey of more than a thousand people, presented in the form of equally matched groups by sex and age, by educational level and type of professional employment, were entered into the computer. Statistical data processing and a comparative analysis of the results of a psychodiagnostic study with data from objective observation (sometimes long-term) confirmed the reliability of the methodology and a wide range of its capabilities, especially in the field of studying individual personality traits.
The methodology is a booklet containing 566 statements. If answers are received to 566 questions-statements (full version), then as a result, not only the profile is revealed SMIL, which gives a portrait of a person when interpreting, but also indicators of almost 200 additional scales that play a clarifying role. The abbreviated version contains 398 statements. It allows you to get a personal portrait on basic scales, but does not provide information on additional scales.
Why does the questionnaire contain not questions, but statements? Because a person more sincerely answers the questions of interest to the psychologist if they sound in the form of a statement. In such a situation, a person feels as if alone with himself, analyzing his “I”, and this contributes to greater frankness than an interrogative form that sounds like an interrogation. The answers of the subject are entered in the cells of the registration sheet (see Appendix). If the subject agrees and answers a certain item of the booklet-questionnaire "True", he puts a cross at the top of the cell with the number corresponding to the statement; if his answer is “False”, then a cross is placed below the approval number in the corresponding cell of the registration sheet. The answer "Don't know" is registered as a circle circled around the corresponding number.
The statements are of a different nature, depending on what area of human problems they cover. Most of them are aimed at identifying character traits, at the style of communication with others. The statements relate to the subjective predilections of the examined person, his views on various life values. They also reveal the features of emotional reactions, mood background, assessment of one's own well-being, a number of specific physiological functions, etc. It is not the maxim of the statement that is important. This is just a standard set of experimentally modeled situations that different people react differently. The very selectivity of the answers, which describes the individual-personal properties of a particular person, is important. Summarizing information on significant answers, the formalized calculation procedure reveals the degree of coincidence or deviation of the answers of a particular individual from the statistically calculated average norm. In the future, the "streams" of the values of individual scales are collected in the "sea" of information that a holistic profile provides.
The translation of the text of the questionnaire was carried out with the help of qualified philologists who are well aware of the intricacies of word usage and the construction of phrases, idiomatic expressions and aphorisms in both English (American) and Russian. Improvement of the translation was carried out 9 (!) times after the next testing of the test on various contingents of the domestic population. The frequency of normative responses of Americans, given in the Handbook of MMPI was compared with the answers of a representative group of Russians. consisting of 860 people, for whom the Russian language is the one they not only speak, but also think. The re-adaptation of the questionnaire concerned not only the accuracy of the translation, but also the adequacy of the statements in relation to the desired psychological phenomena, which they are aimed at revealing. The results of the first stages of re-standardization of the test were published in 1976 (Sobchik L.N., Gissen L.D. Methodological guide. “A standardized method for studying personality SMIL and the experience of its application for the purpose of individualization of sports activities”, Moscow, VNIIFK) and in 1978 (Sobchik L.N., Lukyanova N.A., Manual for doctors. “Studying the psychological characteristics of aircrew by a standardized method of personality research”, Moscow, Air Force). In the future, some statements were changed due to the peculiarities of the domestic population and a different lifestyle in our country compared to America. In particular, this applies to attitudes towards religion, common expressions, slang, idioms. In addition, in the modified version of the test, 26 statements were identified from the questionnaire, which turned out to be ballast: they not only misled and shocked the subjects, but also provoked inadequate answers. Basically, these are statements that "work" on the "F" reliability scale and the 8th - the schizophrenia scale. Thus, the statement “I often see people, animals and other objects that other people around me do not see” provoked the answer “true” among those who, by occupation (for example, athletes), travel a lot on different countries, while the assertion is aimed at identifying perceptual disturbances. In the questionnaire, these statements were left to preserve the usual numbering, but they were excluded from the calculation. Re-standardization of the methodology was carried out on a representative group of 580 men and 280 women. Uniformity was observed in the choice of age groups (from 16 to 70 years old) and by type professional activity: "techies" and "humanities", "physicists" and "lyricists", athletes and artists, people of physical and mental labor were presented equally. The work carried out to adapt and re-standardize the test led to the fact that the psychological significance of the items of the questionnaire became adequate to the original, and the corridor of the norm and peaks of deviations corresponded to the basic requirements of the MMP1 test. This achieved the possibility of a comparative analysis of data SMIL
As a result of the work carried out, domestic standards were obtained for both basic and additional scales (see Appendix). These data have been published in each reprint since 1990 (Sobchik L.N. "Methods of psychological diagnostics. A standardized multifactorial method for studying personality." Methodological guide. Moscow, MCC at the GUTS of the Moscow City Executive Committee.)
Questionnaires in a modified form are divided into male, female and adolescent versions, the difference between which is reflected only in the form of presentation of some statements. The keys (see Appendix) by which the raw scores are calculated for each scale, the correction of raw indicators for the formation of a personality profile in standard T indicators, as well as the interpretive scheme are identical for all forms of the questionnaire, except for some difference in the processing of data on the 5th scale in the male and female profile and those aspects of interpretation that are associated with age characteristics.
The examination procedure should be carried out in a calm environment that allows the subject to concentrate. At the same time, it is sometimes necessary to hurry him up, not to give him the opportunity for lengthy reflections - the first immediate reaction is important. If the subject asks for clarifications, then they should be given only in relation to individual words. The meaning of the statement should not be interpreted, since everyone should understand them in their own way. It is only necessary to make it clear that denial or agreement with the statement cannot be regarded as either a positive or a negative point in assessing their personal qualities. A person should not feel fear that the examination can somehow harm him. Therefore, it must be emphasized that this survey is necessary for a more differentiated (individualized) approach to educational process or in professional activities, as well as to choose the most effective drug treatment or psychotherapeutic impact, etc. It is worth emphasizing that the study is not aimed at identifying the social aspects of human behavior, but more about his temperament, properties nervous system. In some circumstances, it should be said that it is customary to conduct this survey for everyone, this is the order. Statements that questions are repeated, that many of them are stupid, are often associated with defensive tendencies, with an unwillingness to be frank with strangers. On the one hand, such a reaction may be the result of the psychologist's imperative behavior, the lack of the necessary preliminary work with the examined contingent. On the other hand, such a comment is possible here: “Yes, this is how it should be! Repetitions are provided to check your attentiveness and avoid carelessness in filling out the registration sheet.
Before the examination, the subject must study the instructions below.
You will be presented with a whole series of different statements. Evaluating each of them, do not spend a lot of time thinking. The first immediate reaction is the most natural. Carefully read the text, reading to the end each statement and evaluating it entirely as true or false in relation to you. If your answer is “correct”, then put a cross on the registration sheet above the number corresponding to the questionnaire.
If your answer is “false”, then put a cross under the corresponding number.
Pay attention to statements with double negatives: for example, “I have never had seizures with convulsions”: if not, then your answer is “true”, and, conversely, if it happened to you, then the answer is “false”.
Some statements in the questionnaire sound like this: "Circle the number of this statement in a circle." In this case, on the registration sheet, the number corresponding to this statement should be circled on the registration sheet (this is to check your attentiveness).
If some statements are highly doubtful, focus your answer on what is supposedly more characteristic of you. If the statement is true for you in some situations and false in others, then stop at the answer that is more appropriate at the moment. Only in extreme cases, if the statement does not suit you at all, you can circle the number of this statement on the registration sheet, which is equivalent to the answer “I don’t know”. However, an excess of circles in the registration sheet will also lead to unreliable results.
Try to answer sincerely, otherwise your answers will be recognized as unreliable and the survey will have to be repeated. When answering different points of the questionnaire, try to understand - "What (what) am I really?". Then the obtained data can be used with positive effect For you. The results of the survey are not aimed at assessing your personality from the point of view of a “bad” person or a “good” person: only the features of your temperament and professionally important qualities are revealed.
When answering even fairly intimate questions, do not be embarrassed, because no one will read and analyze your answers: all data processing is carried out automatically. The experimenter does not have access to specific answers, receiving results only in the form of generalized indicators that may be interesting and useful to you.
Answer questions about personal data in an arbitrary or even anonymous form by prior arrangement with the psychologist examining you.
The restandardization showed that the strict choice of the norm group made it possible to preserve the framework of the previously developed normative spread on the profile sheet. The main direction of the readaptation of the methodology was associated with the qualitative adjustment of the psychological significance of the items of the questionnaire in such a way that the corridor of the norm and the peaks of deviations were adequate to the basic requirements of the MMP1 test. This creates the basis for comparative data analysis. SMIL with the results of research by foreign authors.
The results of the survey are processed by successively superimposing keys, each of which corresponds to one or another scale of the basic profile (or additional scale). Keys are made from a profile sheet, on which significant answers are highlighted to be calculated. At the same time, the corresponding "windows" are cut out - above the number, if the significant answer is "True", below the number, if the answer is "False". Each key is sequentially superimposed on the completed profile sheet and the crosses that are translucent through the cut out windows, affixed to the subjects, are counted. In the following, these results are referred to as raw scores. For the basic profile, there are 13 of them: three of them are reliability scales and ten basic scales. After correcting the raw results by certain fractions of the "K" correction scale, standardized "T" scores are obtained.
In connection with the readaptation of the methodology and the expansion of its scope, most of the basic scales of the methodology have been given new names corresponding to their psychological essence, respectively: 1st scale - the scale of "neurotic overcontrol", 2nd - "pessimism", 3rd - "emotional lability", 4th - "impulsivity", 6th - "rigidity", 7th - "anxiety", 8th - "individualism", 9th - "optimism and activity". The names of the two scales have not changed: the 5th - the "femininity-masculinity" scale and the 0th - the "social introversion" scale. As for almost two hundred additional scales that are not included in the construction of a personality profile, after the restandardization their names did not change. These scales are much easier to interpret compared to the profile of the basic scales; basically, their essence reflects the very name of each scale. They were developed by different authors in connection with different applied problems and can be used in addition to the main profile scales. As for the basic scales, they form a holistic personal profile that reflects the portrait of a person in all its complexity and diversity. Additional scales only add to this portrait some certain quality, which, refracting through a personal image, can acquire one or another sound. A number of additional scales are aimed at clarifying how some indicators are related to the deviation from the norm, indicating emotional stress. They help to understand a complex problem: whether the detected deviations are a sign of severe stress or mental pathology.
Profile SMIL- this is the broken line that connects the quantitative indicators of the 10 basic scales. "Raw" scores for each scale represent the sum of the crosses calculated by applying the template key to the registration sheet filled in by the subject (see Fig. Practical guide). To each profile scale SMIL has its own key. The indicator of each scale is evaluated by the sum of significant (taken into account) answers-crosses, reflecting not only agreement (the answer is "True" - the cross is above the statement number in the registration sheet), but also denial (the answer is "False" - the cross is placed below the number in the corresponding cell of the registration sheet ).
The calculation of raw scores for each key (i.e. scale) must be done very carefully, repeating the calculation until two matching results. The scale of the registration sheet and the template keys must be absolutely identical. When applying the key to the registration sheet, the frame, outline and numbers must match exactly. Incorrect scoring will lead to the fact that all subsequent interpretation will be distorted or completely wrong. The raw scores obtained are put down on the first line below the frame of the profile sheet. In the foreground (on the left), a small profile of reliability scales adjoins the indicators of the main ten scales of the profile: the scale “?” shows how many of the items in the questionnaire fell into the "don't know" response category. The "L" scale - the "Lie" scale - shows how sincere the subject was during the testing process. The "F" scale - the scale of "reliability" - shows the level of reliability of the data obtained, depending on his frankness and willingness to cooperate. The “K” scale - the “correction” scale reveals the degree of profile distortion associated both with the closeness of the subject and with the influence of the unconscious protective mechanism of “crowding out” information from the psyche, traumatizing, destroying the positive image of the “I”. Depending on the indicators of reliability scales, the profile is recognized as reliable or unreliable, and its features are considered through the prism of the testee's attitudes towards the examination procedure.
To avoid too strong influence of the displacement mechanism on the main profile, you should add 0.5 of the sum of the raw points (s.b.) of the K scale indicator to the raw points of the 1st scale, then add 0.4 of the value of the s.b. scale "K" to s.b. 4th scale, for the whole (1.0) "K" - the entire amount of s.b. scale "K" - is added to the s.b. 7th and 8th scales, and, finally, 0.2 s.b. scale "K" is added to the s.b. 9th scale. In order to ensure that the indicated shares of "K" do not differ among different researchers during mathematical rounding, to the right of the profile space there is a table of rounded indicators 0.4, 0.5 and 0.2 for any values of s.b. "K" scale. These indicators are recorded on additional lines under the raw scores of the corresponding scales (1st, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th) and added to them, after which the final (corrected) raw scores for all scales. Then, the final raw scores are displayed on vertical gradations of different scales according to their designation (?, L, F, K) or number (from 1st to 0th). Raw scores for each scale are put down - in the form of a bold dot (or an asterisk) - on the graph of the profile sheet, and these points are connected by a broken line, the confidence scales separately, the main (basic) profile - separately.
Due to the fact that the number of significant answers (crosses) on each scale is not the same and their statistical significance (price, cost) is also not equivalent, comparison of indicators on different scales is possible only when reducing raw scores to a generalized, standardized unit. Walls, each of which contains 10 T points and is equal to the standard deviation from the average standard line, which is 50 T on a profile sheet, act as such a unit in this technique. This is an empirically identified average norm. Deviation within 2 standard deviations (s) - 20 T - both up, up to 70, and down, up to 30 T, conditionally defined as a spread within the normative corridor. Indicators above 70 and below 30 T are regarded as a deviation from the norm. Data in T-points are shown both on the right and on the left side lines of the frame of the profile sheet and are determined by lines drawn horizontally at a distance of 10 T points from each other. For a more accurate determination of the T-score on each scale, a horizontal line (or a ruler) should be drawn from the raw score to the T scale. The T-scores for any raw score on each specific scale were calculated in advance using the formula:
where 50 is the “norm” line, from which the indicators are counted both up (increase) and down (decrease); X is the final raw result obtained on a certain scale; M is the median empirically identified in the process of re-standardization of the methodology, that is, the average standard indicator on this scale; s - sigma, the value of the standard deviation from the norm, found in the standardization process. For basic scales, all these data are already taken into account and correlated with T-scores on the profile sheet. For additional scales, T-scores are calculated according to the above formula using data on the average statistical indicators of the median and sigma obtained as a result of restandardization of the methodology. These data should be sought in the Appendix, which also contains questionnaires - male, female and adolescent, sample profile sheets (male and female), as well as a registration sheet and keys to basic and additional scales. The practical mastering of the methodology is much faster and easier in the process of training, which is systematically conducted on the basis of the Institute of Applied Psychology in the form of advanced training courses and in the form of individual consultations of specialists - psychologists, doctors, sociologists and teachers.
As mentioned above, the spread of indicators in the range from 30 to 70 T determines the corridor of the norm. However, experience has shown that the distribution of quantitative indicators in this test is uneven and the so-called "Gaussian curve", reflecting the patterns of this distribution, is "incorrect" in nature. This is manifested by the lack of symmetry of the increase-decrease of the profile peaks in the normal range. In the presence of signs of pointed personality traits and other deviations from the norm, we are much more likely to observe an increase in test scores. The lowering of the profile is usually less pronounced quantitatively and is more often associated with the test person's setting for hypernormal responses in the so-called "drowned" profiles (see below). The entire procedure for calculating data requires accuracy, accuracy and attention. It is best when the psychologist has the opportunity to shift this routine work to a computer. Developed by the author of the manual together with programmers S.S. Kurapov and K.G. Kanin, computer versions of the test completely free the psychologist from any short cuts. At the same time, the interpretive part of the program is such that, in addition to a comprehensive portrait of a person, it will insure even a novice psychologist against serious mistakes, help to give specific recommendations of a different plan, depending on the scope and objectives of using the methodology, and also serve as a reliable tool in research work (see. Book "Psychology of individuality. Theory and practice of psychodiagnostics. Sobchik LN, S.-Pb. Rech, 2003).
Profile scatter reading SMIL comes from 50 T - an “ideal-normative” average profile corresponding to a theoretical average norm (see the profile sheet in the Appendix chapter). In a narrow corridor of the norm - within 46 - 55 T - fluctuations in the profile are difficult to interpret, since they do not reveal sufficiently pronounced individual-personal properties and are characteristic of a completely balanced personality (if the reliability scales do not show a pronounced set to lie - a high scale "L" - or indiscretion - high scale "K"). In a wide corridor of the norm (from 30 to 70 T), the profile of the norm of each trend is opposed by the opposite in direction "anti-tendency", and feelings and behavior are subject to the control of consciousness (or so moderate that minimal control over them is quite sufficient). Increases, fluctuating within 56 - 66 T, reveal those leading trends that determine the characterological characteristics of the individual. Higher rates of different basic scales (67-75 T) highlight those accentuated features that sometimes make it difficult for a person to socially and psychologically adapt. Indicators above 75 T indicate impaired adaptation and a deviation from the normal state of the individual. These can be psychopathic character traits, a state of stress caused by an extreme situation, neurotic disorders, and, finally, psychopathology, the presence of which can only be judged by a pathopsychologist or psychiatrist based on the totality of data from a psychodiagnostic, experimental psychological and clinical study.
The profile sheets of the adult and adolescent versions have quantitative differences only depending on the gender of the subject. Age differences are taken into account when analyzing the profile data, as discussed in the interpretation section. It is very important that before starting work, the specialist is convinced that he and the questionnaire itself, and the keys, and profile sheets, and, finally, the interpretive approach belong to one author. SMIL different from the original test MMRI, and from the one developed at the All-Russian Research Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry. V.M. Bekhterev of the Standardized Clinical Questionnaire for SKLO and adapted by F.B. Berezin and M.P. Miroshnikov MMIL. Incomparable in all parameters with all options MMPI questionnaire for 71 statements clinically oriented Mini-cartoon developed by the Swedish psychologist Kinkannon and adapted in the Russian version by V.P. Zaitsev and V.N. Kozyulei SMOL. This technique is best used for screening for those in need of medical care patients and for use in psychosomatic clinics.
As experience shows, the technique is mainly designed for examining a contingent of adults (from 16 to 80 years old) with an education of at least 6-7 grades of secondary school), with intact intelligence. Due to the fact that the author of the book, together with teachers B.N. Kodess and T.V. Kodess, developed and adapted the teenage version in 1984 SMIL, the limits of application of the technique have expanded somewhat. If the usual adult version has been widely and effectively used for many years in the practice of vocational counseling when examining high school students aged 15-17, then the adolescent version has been successfully used in recent years in studying younger children, starting from 12 years old (subject to good general development). It is noted that unreliable results are often directly dependent not so much on the distorted attitude of the subject to the examination, but on a poor understanding of the content of the statements. This may be due, firstly, to insufficiently developed verbal intelligence, and secondly, to poor knowledge of the Russian language. Therefore, in regions where people speak a different language, the methodology should be translated into their native language, but it is also necessary to re-standardize the quantitative base of the methodology, since regulatory standards may differ due to regional cultural and ethnic characteristics.
The analysis of the obtained results is based not on the study of the meaning of the answers of the subject, but on the statistical procedure for calculating the data, during which the quantitative dispersion of different answers is revealed in relation, on the one hand, to the average standard average, and on the other, to the pathological sharpness of the psychological factor, which is one or another individual tendency. Most of the statements sound so that the subject, answering, does not always imagine how this will characterize him, which will greatly complicate the desire to "improve" or "worse" the results of the survey. At first glance, the technique allows you to describe the subjective inner picture of the "I" of the person being examined. In reality, however, due in part to the projective sound of many statements, the experiment also reveals those psychological aspects that are not recognized by a person or are only partially amenable to the control of consciousness. Therefore, only with statistically unreliable data, the personality profile is distorted so much that it makes no sense to interpret it. Within the framework of reliable data, even in the presence of trends that partially affect the strengthening or smoothing of the profile picture, the interpretation reflects a picture of the personality close to the true one. At the same time, a very differentiated gradation of the severity of various personality traits in their complex combination is possible, when not only high indicators are taken into account, but also their correlation with low indicators. At the same time, the deviation from the average normative indicators, which is more than twice the standard error, reveals an excessive degree of expression of a particular personality trait, taking it beyond a fairly wide (from 30 to 70 standard T points) corridor of normative variation. Such data, as already mentioned, do not necessarily indicate pathology. Complex life situation, traumatic events, physical malaise - all this can cause a state of temporary maladjustment.
Therefore, the interpretation of the data obtained should be carried out in accordance with all the information available about the subject, not to mention the fact that for an adequate idea of the subject, it does not hurt to look at him. "Blind" interpretation can be used only for research purposes, when the reliability of the methodology is checked, as well as in large-scale surveys, when not the personality of an individual is interpreted, but some generalized tendencies of large groups.
The person being examined can claim certain information about the test results. Sometimes such an interview carries a psychotherapeutic or recommendatory content. If this happens, then the experimental psychologist or consultant must first of all observe the interests of the person being examined and never interpret the survey data to his detriment, since the role of the psychologist in society is mainly to protect the person in every sense of the word. If this rule is violated, people will lose confidence in the psychologist and further psychological research will become impossible. The rest follows from this: the interpretation of the data obtained should be carried out from the standpoint of a psychotherapeutic, sparing approach. Each individual-personal property usually carries both positive and negative information. Therefore, it is always possible to start an interview by highlighting positive characteristics, and then, against this background, highlight those features and properties of a person that create certain difficulties and negatively affect a person’s fate. But this should be done carefully and in exactly the style that is optimal for this individual: you should pay attention to those recommendations for a corrective approach that are given below, depending on the characteristics of the profile.
MINNESOTA MULTIPLE. PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE (MMPI)
The personality questionnaire was proposed by S. Hathway and J. McKinley in 1940. It is the implementation of a typological approach to the study of personality and occupies a leading place among other personality questionnaires in psychodiagnostic studies.
The questionnaire consists of 550 statements, forming 10 main diagnostic scales. For each statement, the subjects must give a specific answer. Designed for persons aged 16 years and older with an IQ of at least 80 (according to Wexler).
Two modifications of MMPI are currently in use.
SMIL (standard methodology for the study of personality - Sobchik L.N., Lukyanova M.F., 1978). Includes 566 questions (550 original and 16 dubbed). Allows you to diagnose 10 main and up to 200 additional scales. The technique is closest to the international standard MMPI, but it is cumbersome and in itself has a strong effect on the subject as an "examination of mental disorders".
MMIL (Berezin F. B. et al., 1976). It includes 377 questions and makes it possible to reliably diagnose 10 main scales. For this modification, a more significant amount of work on psychometric adaptation has been carried out. Modification MMIL presented below.
Theoretical justification
Own theoretical basis MMPI does not have. To draw up statements, the authors used complaints from patients, descriptions of the symptoms of certain mental illnesses in clinical guidelines (the classification of mental illnesses proposed by E. Kraepelin), and previously developed questionnaires. Initially, the statements were presented to a significant group of healthy people, which made it possible to determine their normative indicators. Then these indicators were compared with those obtained during the examination of various clinical groups. Thus, statements were selected that reliably differentiated the healthy and each of the studied groups of patients. These statements were combined into scales named according to the clinical group for which this or that scale was validated.
At the same time, one cannot help but dwell on a number of remarks addressed to MMPI.
The original clinical scales of the MMPI were based on the traditional psychiatric classification, which, despite its popularity, rests on a dubious theoretical foundation. The artificiality of these categories caused concern for many years in clinical psychology. Therefore, it is characteristic that factor analysis based on the intercorrelation of questions and scales shows a high intercorrelation among the main clinical MMPI scales, which casts doubt on their value for differential diagnosis.
The MMPI therefore does not provide a nosological-diagnostic evaluation. The personality profile obtained in the study using this technique characterizes only the characteristics of the personality at the time of the study. Therefore, it cannot be evaluated as a "diagnostic label". However, the characteristic of the patient's personal properties obtained in such a study significantly complements the picture of the pathopsychological register syndrome.
Validity and reliability data
The validity of MMPI, established on the basis of differentiation of clinical groups, is quite high. Re-survey reliability ranges from 0.50 to 0.90. Reliability for split halves showed wide variability from scale to scale and ranged from 0.50 to 0.81.
Description of the technique
MMIL (method of multilateral personality research is a questionnaire-type test that includes 384 statements covering a wide range of personal characteristics, attitudes, interests, psychopathological and psychosomatic symptoms. Statements can be presented either on cards or in the form of a text brochure. The first presentation option usually used in individual research, the second - in group.In the pamphlet version, the number of statements is reduced to 377 by statements relating to sexual issues (in a mass study, such statements cause unwanted tension).
Below are the main clinical scales.
1. Hypochondria scale (Hs) - determines the "proximity" of the subject to the astheno-neurotic personality type.
2. Depression scale (p) - designed to determine the degree of subjective depression, moral discomfort (hypothymic personality type).
3. Hysteria Scale (Hu) - designed to identify individuals prone to neurotic reactions of the conversion type (using the symptoms of a physical illness to resolve difficult situations).
4.
Psychopathy scale (Pd) - aimed at diagnosis
sociopathic personality type.
6. The scale of paranoia (Ra) - allows you to judge the presence of "overvalued" ideas, suspicion.
7. The scale of psychasthenia (Pt) - the similarity of the subject with patients suffering from phobias, obsessive actions and thoughts (anxious and suspicious personality type) is established.
8. The Schizophrenia Scale (Sc) is aimed at diagnosing a schizoid (autistic) personality type.
9. Hypomania scale (Ma) - determines the degree of proximity of the subject to hyperthymic personality type.
Along with the scales identified on the basis of a study of typical groups of patients, the test includes two scales, the validation of which was carried out in the study of healthy individuals.
5. The scale of masculinity - femininity (Mf) - is designed to measure the degree of identification of the subject with the role of a man or woman attributed by society.
0. Scale of social introversion (Si) - diagnosis of the degree of compliance with the introverted personality type.
In addition to the listed main test scales, there are three rating scales that allow you to minimize the installation effect and determine the reliability of the result.
1. The scale of "lie" (L) - designed to assess the sincerity of the subject.
2. Reliability scale (F) - designed to identify unreliable results (associated with the negligence of the subject), as well as aggravation and simulation.
3. Correction scale (K) - introduced in order to smooth out the distortions introduced by the subject's excessive isolation, as well as excessive openness.
Conducting a survey
The subject is told that he needs to answer whether each of the 377 statements is true or not. The answer is marked by a strikethrough square to the right or left of the statement number. If the statement is recognized as true, the square is crossed out to the left of the number (under the letter "B"), if incorrect - to the right (under the letter "H"). The answer "I don't know" is not marked in any way.
The researcher reports that the first reaction is the most natural and therefore you need to answer immediately, so as not to waste time thinking. Subject to this condition, the subject responds to 4-7 statements per minute, and the implementation of the technique takes from 55 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Some of the statements included in the test may cause bewilderment of the subjects due to the fact that they relate to pronounced painful phenomena or situations that are difficult for the subject to attribute to himself. In this case, they should be informed that the set of statements is the same for the study of different contingents, and the mechanical processing of the results does not allow to exclude any statements, because. changing the assertion number will inevitably cause decryption errors. If the subject seeks advice regarding a particular statement and his own attitude towards it, the researcher should not prompt or explain the meaning of the statement, but indicate that one should be guided by one's own understanding of the statement, or recall the corresponding paragraph of the instruction. The researcher should not comment on the question, express attitudes towards it with words, facial expressions or intonation. If difficulties arise, it is useful to discuss with the subject 2-3 statements that are indifferent in content in order to make sure that he correctly understood the instructions.
Results processing
The results are processed using special key tablets. Each scale has its own plate. For scale 5, there are two tablets, separately for men and women. Using tablets, the primary result for each scale is calculated. The answer that matches the "key" is worth 1 point. The result obtained on the K scale, or its certain share, is added to the primary result on some scales: to the 1st scale - 0.5; to the 4th - 0.4; to the 9th - 0.2 of this result, and to the 7th and 8th scales - it is added completely. Taking into account the correction, on a special map compiled on the basis of the population standard, the value of the result for each scale is noted. The lines connecting these points are drawn separately for the evaluation and main scales and form the profile of the methodology for a multilateral study of personality.
The map is designed in such a way that after drawing a profile on it, it is evaluated in T-points. If the rating scales give results in excess of 70 T-points, the result is doubtful, and if they go beyond 80 T-points, it is unreliable. In this case, the method is presented again. Re-presentation of the technique is best done on the same or the next day. In the case of a reliable result, the resulting profile is interpreted.
Fundamentals of Interpretation of the Methodology of Multilateral Personality Research
Information about the meaning of various types of profile, which are given below, does not exhaust the whole variety of possible options, but they can be used as a guide when working with the technique. A systematic presentation of this information is especially useful for researchers who are beginning to work with the described methodology, since it allows them to quickly gain the necessary experience in interpretation.
The basic rules for assessing the profile, the violation of which most often leads to erroneous interpretation, can be formulated as follows.
1. The profile should be evaluated as a whole, and not as a set of independent scales. The results obtained on one of the scales cannot be evaluated in isolation from the results on other scales.
2. When evaluating a profile, the ratio of the profile level on each scale to the average level of the profile and especially in relation to neighboring scales (profile peaks) is of the greatest importance. The absolute value of the T-norm on one or another scale is less significant.
3. The profile characterizes the personality traits and the current mental state of the subject. In clinical practice, it reflects the features of the psychopathological syndrome, and not the nosological affiliation of the disease. Therefore, the profile cannot be evaluated as a "diagnostic label".
4. The results obtained cannot be considered as unshakable, since the connection of the profile with the current mental state determines its dynamics with changes in this state.
5. Interpretation of individual profiles requires consideration
the entire set of data that cannot be
provided in connection with the already noted variety of individual options. Therefore, literature data containing a description of typical profiles can only be used to master the main provisions of the interpretation, and not as ready-made recipes. An attempt to use a set of ready-made recipes can lead to significant errors in evaluating the results of the study. For example, the same type of profile obtained in the study of almost healthy person and an inpatient with severe clinical symptoms will have a different meaning.
Rating scales
Evaluation scales were introduced into the original version of the text in order to study the attitude of the subject to testing and to judge the reliability of the results of the study. However, subsequent study revealed that these scales also have significant psychological correlates.
Scale L
The statements included in the L scale were selected in order to identify the subject's tendency to present himself in the best possible light, demonstrating strict adherence to social norms.
The scale consists of 15 statements that relate to socially approved, but unimportant attitudes and norms of everyday behavior, which, due to their low significance, are actually ignored by the vast majority of people. Thus, an increase in the result on the L scale usually indicates the desire of the subject to appear in a favorable light. This desire may be situational, associated with the limited horizons of the subject, or caused by the presence of pathology. However, it must be borne in mind that some people tend to punctually follow the established standard, always observing any, even the most insignificant and not having significant value, rules. In these cases, an increase in the result on the L scale reflects these character traits. Belonging to a professional group, which, due to its specifics, requires an extremely high standard of behavior and punctual adherence to conventional norms, also contributes to an increase in the result on the L scale. other professional groups.
It should be noted that since the statements that make up the L scale are used in their direct meaning, they may not reveal a tendency to look in a favorable light if it occurs in persons with a sufficiently high intelligence and extensive life experience.
If the results on the L scale are from 70 to 80 T-points, the resulting profile is doubtful, and if the results are above 80 T-points, it is unreliable. High results on the L scale are usually accompanied by a decrease in the level of the profile on the main clinical scales. If, despite the high result on the L scale, significant increases in the level of the profile are found on one or another clinical scale, they can be taken into account in the totality of data available to the researcher.
F scale
A significant increase in the profile on this scale indicates an accidental or intentional distortion of the study results.
The scale consists of 64 statements, which were extremely rarely regarded as "true" by persons included in the normative group of healthy subjects, according to which the MMIL was standardized. At the same time, these statements rarely differentiated the normative group from the groups of patients for which the main scales were validated.
The statements included in the F scale relate, in particular, to unusual thoughts, desires and sensations, overt psychotic symptoms, and such, the existence of which is almost never recognized by the studied patients.
If the profile on the F scale exceeds 70 T-points, the result is doubtful, but can be taken into account when confirmed by other, including clinical data. If the result on the F scale exceeds 80 T-points, the result of the study should be considered unreliable. This result may be due to technical errors made during the survey. In those cases where the possibility of error is excluded, the unreliability of the result is due to the installation of the subject or his condition. In setting behavior, the subject may recognize as true statements concerning unusual or clearly psychotic phenomena (if he seeks to aggravate or simulate psychopathological symptoms).
An unreliable result associated with the patient's condition may be observed in an acute psychotic state (disturbance of consciousness, delirium, etc.), which distorts the perception of statements or the reaction to them. A similar distortion can be observed in cases of severe psychotic disorders leading to a defect. A doubtful or unreliable result can be obtained in anxious individuals in cases where an urgent need for help prompts them to give accountable answers to most of the statements. In these cases, simultaneously with an increase in the result on the F scale, the entire profile is significantly increased, but the shape of the profile is not distorted and the possibility of its interpretation remains. Finally, changes in the subject's attention can lead to an unreliable result, as a result of which he makes mistakes or cannot grasp the meaning of the statement. When receiving an unreliable result, in some cases it is possible to increase the reliability of the study using re-testing. At the same time, it is more expedient to resubmit only those statements for which the considered answers were received. If the result of retesting is unreliable, you can try to establish the reason for the distortion of the result by discussing his answers with the subject. In order to avoid disruption of contact with the subject, it is necessary to obtain his consent to such a discussion.
With a reliable result of the study, a relatively high level of profile on the F scale can be observed in various types of non-conforming personalities, since such personalities will show reactions that are not characteristic of the normative group, and, accordingly, more often give answers taken into account on the F scale. with the originality of perception and logic, characteristic of persons schizoid type, autistic and experiencing difficulties in interpersonal contacts, as well as with psychopathic features in individuals prone to disordered ("bohemian") behavior or characterized by a pronounced sense of protest against conventional norms. An increase in the profile on the F scale can also be observed in very young people during the period of personality formation in cases where the need for self-expression is realized through non-conformity in behavior and attitudes. Severe anxiety and need for help usually manifests itself in a relatively high level of result on the described scale.
A moderate increase on the F scale in the absence of psychopathological symptoms usually reflects internal tension, dissatisfaction with the situation, and poorly organized activity. The tendency to follow conventional norms and the absence of internal tension causes a low result on the F scale.
In clinically undoubted cases of the disease, an increase in the profile on the F scale usually correlates with the severity of psychopathological symptoms.
K scale
The scale consists of 30 statements that make it possible to differentiate individuals who seek to mitigate or hide psychopathological phenomena, and individuals who are overly open.
In the original version of the MMPI, this scale was originally intended to study the degree of caution of the subjects in the testing situation and the tendency (largely unconscious) to deny the presence of unpleasant sensations, life difficulties and conflicts. The result obtained on the K scale is added to correct the specified tendency to five of the ten main clinical scales in a proportion corresponding to its influence on each of these scales. However, the K scale, in addition to its significance for assessing the reaction of the subject to the testing situation and correcting the results on a number of basic clinical scales, is of significant interest for assessing certain personality traits of the subject.
Persons with a high score on the K scale usually determine their behavior depending on social approval and are concerned about their social status. They tend to deny any difficulties in interpersonal relationships or in controlling their own behavior, strive to comply with accepted norms and refrain from criticism to the extent that the behavior of others fits within the accepted norm. Obviously non-conformal, deviating from traditions and customs, going beyond the conventional framework, the behavior of other people causes a pronounced negative reaction in persons who give high scores on the K scale. Due to the tendency to deny (largely already at the perceptual level) information that indicates difficulties and conflicts, these individuals may not have an adequate idea of how they are perceived by others. In clinical cases, a pronounced desire to achieve a favorable attitude towards oneself can be combined with anxiety and insecurity.
With insignificant severity (moderate increases on the K scale), the described tendencies not only do not violate the adaptation of the individual, but even facilitate it, causing a sense of harmony with the environment and an approving assessment of the rules adopted in this environment. In this regard, persons with a moderate increase in the profile on the K scale give the impression of prudent, benevolent, sociable people with a wide range of interests. Extensive experience of interpersonal contacts and the denial of difficulties cause people of this type to have a more or less high level of enterprise and the ability to find the right line of behavior. Since such qualities improve social adaptation, a moderate increase in the profile on the K scale can be considered as a prognostically favorable sign.
Persons with a very low profile on the K scale are well aware of their difficulties, tend to exaggerate rather than underestimate the degree of personal inadequacy. They do not hide their weaknesses, difficulties and psychopathological disorders. The tendency to be critical of oneself and others leads to skepticism. Dissatisfaction and a tendency to exaggerate the significance of conflicts makes them easily vulnerable and creates awkwardness in interpersonal relationships.
Index F - K
Since the trends measured by the F and K scales are largely opposite in direction, the difference in the primary result obtained using these scales is
essential for determining the attitude of the subject at the time of judgment about the reliability of the result. The average value of this index in MMIL is: 7 for men and 8 for women. The intervals at which the result obtained can be considered reliable (if none of the rating scales exceed 70 T-points) range from -18 to +4 for men and from -23 to +7 for women. If the F-K difference is from +5 to +7 for men and from +8 to +10 for women, then the result seems doubtful, however, if it is confirmed by clinical data, it can be taken into account, provided that none of the rating scales exceeds 80 T- points.
The greater the F-K difference, the more pronounced the desire of the subject to emphasize the severity of his symptoms and life difficulties, to evoke sympathy and condolences. high level index F-K may indicate aggravation. A decrease in the F-K index reflects the desire to improve the impression of oneself, mitigate one's symptoms and emotionally intense problems or deny their presence. A low level of this index may indicate dissimulation of existing psychopathological disorders.
Clinical scales
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a methodology created in 1940 by S. Hatway and J. McKinley at the University of Minnesota, which has remained one of the most common over the past 50 years. Initially, the test was developed for the purpose of professional selection of pilots during the Second World War - it is used to study the level of adaptation and study the worker's persistent professionally important inclinations.
How was the MMPI developed?
The methodology was developed as follows: it included special questions that could identify ordinary people and people with certain psychological symptoms. During the development process, scientists took hysteroids, psychos, depressive patients, observed their answers to questions and, based on the distribution of answers, created special scales that can be used to judge the norm or pathology.
Subsequently, the questionnaire was improved to study precisely personality traits that are not similar to clinical manifestations. As a result, the scales were renamed, and a remarkable test was obtained to identify personality traits.
In the 1960s, scientists worked on adapting the MMPI to domestic reality. The researchers worked in this direction for a long time, and as a result, the questions and answer options were recalibrated. Changes in the methodology were carried out at the Leningrad Psychoneurological Institute. V. M. Bekhterev, and the last major changes were made by L.N. Sobchik. In 1971, a new version was introduced - the SMIL test (Standardized Multivariate Personality Research Method).
How does he look today?
It consists of a large number of statements. Answer options are presented in three types: "True", "False" and "Don't know". When working with statements, you should not think for a long time about the answer option. Questions must be answered honestly, otherwise the passed test will be considered unreliable. The presented methodology has a scale of lies, and if it has high results, then the test will have to be repeated.
What can be learned with this test?
This test makes it possible to obtain a multidisciplinary portrait of a person, which includes the following components: motivational orientation, character traits, suicidal tendencies, leading needs, predisposition to alcoholism, defense mechanisms, the presence of sexual problems, etc.
Analysis of results
The results of this test are calculated using 13 scales. Let's get acquainted with the first 3 scales:
- Lie scale (L) - high values of this scale indicate the unreliability of the personality profile, in this case it is better to pass the test again. If the indicators, on the contrary, are low, then this indicates the reliability of the results of the individual.
- Reliability scale (F) - it shows how honest the answers of the subject were. High scores on this scale indicate that a person is too critical of himself.
- Correction scale (K) - the criterion for this scale is the desire of the individual to adjust their answers in accordance with the social norms of people.
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One of the very important advantages of the methodology is the presence in its structure of rating scales, or, as they are more commonly called, reliability scales that determine the reliability of the data obtained and the attitude of the subjects regarding the examination procedure. These are the “lie” scale - L, the “reliability” scale - F and the “correction” scale - K. In addition, there is a scale marked with a question mark - “?”. Scale “?” registers the number of statements to which the subject could not give a definite answer; while the scale indicator “?” significant if it exceeds 26 raw points, because the figure 26 corresponds to the number of statements excluded from the calculation, accompanied in the booklet with a note - “The number of this statement should be circled”. If the scale indicator is “?” above 70 raw points, the test data is unreliable. The total figure is within 36-40 s.b. admissible; results from 41 to 60 s.b. indicate the anxiety of the subject.
The correct presentation of the methodology and the preliminary conversation between the psychologist and the subject significantly reduces distrust and secrecy, which are reflected in the growth of insignificant answers. The "L" scale includes those statements that reveal the subject's tendency to present himself in the best possible light, demonstrating a very strict adherence to social norms. High scores on the “L” scale (70 T and above), i.е. more than 10 s.b., indicate a deliberate desire to embellish oneself, “show oneself in best light”, denying the presence in their behavior of weaknesses inherent in any person - the ability to get angry at least sometimes or at least a little, to be lazy, to neglect diligence, strictness of manners, truthfulness, accuracy in the smallest sizes and in the most forgivable situation. In this case, the profile is smoothed, underestimated or recessed. Most of all, the high values of the L scale affect the underestimation of the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th scales. An increase in the L scale within 60 - 69 T is often found in people with a primitive mental warehouse with insufficient self-understanding and low adaptive capabilities. In individuals with a high level of education and culture, profile distortions due to an increase in the L scale are rare. A moderate increase in L - up to 60 T - is noted in the elderly in the norm as a reflection of age-related changes in the personality in the direction of strengthening the normative behavior.
Low scores on the L scale (0 - 2 s.b.) indicate the absence of a tendency to embellish one's character. The profile is unreliable if L - 70 T is higher. Re-testing is required after an additional conversation with the subject. Another scale that makes it possible to judge the reliability of the results obtained is the F reliability scale. High scores on this scale may cast doubt on the reliability of the examination if the F values are above 70 T. The reasons may be different: excessive excitement at the time of the examination, which affected the performance and correct understanding of statements; negligence in registering responses; the desire to slander oneself, to stun the psychologist with the originality of one's personality, to emphasize the defects of one's character; a tendency to dramatize the circumstances and one's attitude towards them; an attempt to portray another, fictional person; reduced performance due to overwork or illness. It should also be borne in mind that a high F may be the result of the experimenter's negligence in processing the test results. Some increase in F may be the result of excessive diligence with pronounced self-criticism and frankness. For individuals who are to some extent disharmonic, in a state of discomfort, F can be at the level of 65 - 75 T, which reflects emotional instability. High F, accompanied by an increase in the profile on the 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th scales, occurs in individuals prone to affective reactions with low conformity. Unlike other scales, for the F scale, the normative spread is 10 T higher, i.e. reaches 80 T. However, indicators above 70 T, as a rule, reflect a high level of emotional tension or are a sign of personal disintegration, which can be associated with both severe stress and neuropsychiatric disorders of a different nature. If the profile data, despite the high F (above 80 T), according to objective observation and the results of other methods, still reflect the real experiences of the subject, which is often found in practice, then they can be considered in the context of the total amount of available data as deserving serious attention. information, but when statistically processing and deriving the average results of the studied group, these profiles should not be included, since their statistical significance is low.
Indicators of the correction scale K are moderately increased (55 - 60 T) with a person's natural defensive reaction to an attempt to invade the world of his innermost experiences, i.e. with good control over emotions. A significant increase (above 65 T) indicates a lack of frankness, a desire to hide defects in one's character and the presence of any problems and conflicts. High values of K positively correlate with the presence of protective reactions of the type of displacement. A profile with a high K (66 T and above) is often accompanied by an increase in the 3rd scale and recessed 4th, 7th and 8th. Such a profile indicates that the subject did not want to speak frankly about himself and demonstrates only his sociability and desire to make a good impression. Due to the fact that the K scale registers intentionally hidden or unconsciously repressed psychological problems(emotional tension, antisocial tendencies and non-conformity of attitudes), a certain part of the indicator of this scale is added to the raw data of some of the most dependent scales: 0.5 - to the 1st scale, 0.4 - to the 4th, 0.2 - to the 9th and 1.0 K each (the entire value of K as a whole) - to the 7th and 8th scales.
Low scores on the K scale are usually observed with elevated and high F and reflect frankness, self-criticism. Decreased K is typical for persons with low intelligence, but may also be associated with a decrease in self-control in case of excessive emotional tension and personal disintegration. A good guideline for assessing the reliability of the profile and identifying the test subject's attitude to the testing procedure, in addition to the specified criteria, is the factor "F - K", i.e. the difference between the raw results of these scales. On average, its value for harmonious personalities ranges from +6 to -6. If the difference F - K = +7 ... +11, then the subject during the examination has a mildly expressed attitude to emphasize existing problems, to dramatize his difficulties, to aggravate the state. If F - K = from -7 to -11, then a negative attitude towards testing, closeness, and lack of frankness are revealed. The value (F -K) exceeding + - 11 in one direction or another casts doubt on the reliability of the data obtained, which at least should be considered through the prism of the identified installation.
