The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a true-false self-report questionnaire, containing validity measures and assessing personality characteristics. This test provides objective measures of personality characteristics that might indicate how a person is functioning in the world.
There are three forms of the MMPI that are currently in common use:
- The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A)
- The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2)
- The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition, Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF)
The MMPI takes around 60 to 90 minutes to complete. It should be administered, scored, and interpreted by a clinical psychologist who has received specific training in its use. While the MMPI is commonly used to assist in making a mental health diagnosis, the MMPI should be used in conjunction with other psychological assessment measures and diagnosis should never be made solely on the results of an MMPI test.
The MMPI has multiple clinical scales that are used to indicate different psychological conditions including symptoms of depression, anxiety, excitability, awareness of one’s symptoms, physical symptoms, conflict with others, and relationships with others. The MMPI also has multiple validity scales to help determine the test-taker’s response style and determine if there is inconsistency or any under- or over-reporting of symptoms. The MMPI can be a very useful tool for understanding personality, emotional functioning, and diagnosis when used in combination with other assessment methods. Taken together, these assessment tools can be helpful better understanding individuals and in tailoring one’s treatment to his or her needs.