Interpreting the MMPI-3

2023
Authors:

Yossef S. Ben-Porath and Martin Sellbom

An essential guide to detailed and accurate interpretation of the MMPI-3

Updating and expanding the information found in MMPI-3 test manuals, Interpreting the MMPI-3 is an indispensable resource for practicing clinicians and a vital textbook for graduate psychological assessment courses that use and study this singular psychological instrument. Written by Yossef S. Ben-Porath, coauthor of the MMPI-3, and Martin Sellbom, a leading expert on the MMPI instruments, this book sets the standard for interpretation of and instruction on the MMPI-3.

Interpreting the MMPI-3 delivers far more than its title promises. In this immensely readable volume, Yossef S. Ben-Porath and Martin Sellbom provide readers not only with a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the constructs measured by the MMPI-3 and a detailed interpretive framework, but also the historical context and rationale for this latest test revision. Readers seeking a thorough summary of the validity evidence supporting the MMPI-3’s interpretive inferences will not be disappointed. Readers hoping to gain practical guidance on using the test in both clinical and applied assessments will be equally satisfied.

David M. Corey, PhD, ABPP, private practice, forensic, and police/public safety psychology

Tags

Psychology

The MMPI-3 builds on the history and strengths of the MMPI instruments to provide an empirically validated, psychometrically up-to-date standard for psychological assessment. Updating and expanding the information found in MMPI-3 test manuals, Interpreting the MMPI-3 is an indispensable resource for practicing clinicians and a vital textbook for graduate psychological assessment courses that use and study this singular psychological instrument.

Yossef S. Ben-Porath, coauthor of the MMPI-3, and Martin Sellbom, a leading expert on the MMPI instruments, provide detailed descriptions and interpretive recommendations for test scales, along with illustrative cases from a wide variety of settings, including forensic (criminal and civil), medical, and personnel screening. This core interpretive content places the MMPI-3 at the forefront of contemporary psychological assessment, while also providing important background on older versions of the test.

This volume includes an in-depth look at the test’s history, development, administration, and interpretation, and it also addresses diversity-sensitive assessment with the test. A comprehensive guide for clinicians, researchers, and students, this book sets the standard for interpretation of and instruction on the MMPI-3.

A book-based exam offering Continuing Education (CE) credit is available for this publication. Visit upress.umn.edu/test-division for more information.

Yossef S. Ben-Porath is professor of psychological sciences at Kent State University. A board-certified clinical psychologist, he has been involved extensively in MMPI research for the past thirty-seven years. He is codeveloper of the MMPI-3, MMPI-2-RF, and MMPI-A-RF and coauthor of test manuals, books, book chapters, and articles on the MMPI instruments.

Martin Sellbom is professor in clinical psychology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and editor-in-chief for the Journal of Personality Assessment. His work has been featured in nearly three hundred publications, with a large proportion focusing on the MMPI instruments. He has received awards from the American Psychological Foundation, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the Society for Personality Assessment.

Interpreting the MMPI-3 delivers far more than its title promises. In this immensely readable volume, Yossef S. Ben-Porath and Martin Sellbom provide readers not only with a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the constructs measured by the MMPI-3 and a detailed interpretive framework, but also the historical context and rationale for this latest test revision. Readers seeking a thorough summary of the validity evidence supporting the MMPI-3’s interpretive inferences will not be disappointed. Readers hoping to gain practical guidance on using the test in both clinical and applied assessments will be equally satisfied.

David M. Corey, PhD, ABPP, private practice, forensic, and police/public safety psychology

Recent surveys of accredited psychology training programs indicate that the MMPI-3 is the most prominent assessment tool in the field. Mastery of the test requires the deeper knowledge and understanding that come from the historical, theoretical, and empirical information provided in this text. I would certainly expect it to be the first on the list of required books for the personality assessment courses in graduate programs in health service psychology. It presents a current, scholarly, and very readable description of the MMPI-3 specifically and the field of psychological assessment more generally.

David M. McCord, PhD, Western Carolina University

Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Preface and Acknowledgments

Part I. Foundations

1. Historical Foundations of the MMPI-3: The MMPI and MMPI-2

The Original MMPI

The MMPI-2

Toward the MMPI-2-RF

2. Transitioning to the MMPI-3: The MMPI-2-RF

A First Step: The Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales

Developing the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales

Appraisals of the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales

Completing the MMPI-2-RF

The MMPI-2-RF Substantive Scales

The MMPI-2-RF Validity Scales

Appraisals of the MMPI-2-RF

Toward the MMPI-3

3. Developing the MMPI-3

Preliminary Research

Development Samples and Instruments

Scale Development

The MMPI-3 Scales

The MMPI-3 Norms

4. The MMPI-3 Validity Scales

Applicability of the MMPI-2-RF Literature

Are Validity Scales Needed?

Psychometric Findings with the MMPI-2-RF/MMPI-3 Validity Scales

Two Functions of the Scales

5. The MMPI-3 Substantive Scales

Higher-Order (H-O) Scales

Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales

Specific Problems (SP) Scales

Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) Scales

Mapping the MMPI-3 onto Contemporary Psychopathology Models

6. Diversity-Sensitive Assessment with the MMPI-3

Literature Review

MMPI Translations and International Adaptations

MMPI-3 Features That Enhance Diversity-Sensitive Assessment

Future Directions

Part II. Applications

7. Administering and Scoring the MMPI-3

Administering the MMPI-3

Scoring the MMPI-3

Computer-Generated MMPI-3 Reports

8. Interpreting the MMPI-3 Validity Scales

Threats to Protocol Validity

Interpretive Guidelines

Case Illustrations

9. Interpreting the MMPI-3 Substantive Scales

Higher-Order (H-O) Scales

Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales

Specific Problems (SP) Scales

Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) Scales

10. Interpreting the MMPI-3: Recommended Framework and Process

Using the MMPI-3 Interpretation Worksheet

Case Example

11. MMPI-3 Case Studies

Ms. A: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mr. B: ADHD or Mania?

Mr. C: Severe Personality Disorder

Mx. D: A Case of Social Communication Deficits

Ms. E: A Bariatric Surgery Candidate

Mr. F: A Spinal Cord Stimulator Candidate

Ms. G: Psychological Sequela of Head Trauma

Ms. H: Personality Disorder or Complex PTSD?

Mr. I: A Case of Diminished Responsibility?

Mr. J: A Police Candidate

Ms. K: Neuropsychological Assessment of a Spanish Speaker

Notes

References

Index