Before the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed, personality assessment techniques were used to help the emerging diagnostic needs of psychologists working under psychiatrists. It was difficult to develop a test that would be broadly accepted in clinical practice. The purpose of the MMPI was to represent general psychiatric terms. Hathaway and McKinley wanted to condense long psychiatric interviews because they were expensive for patients (Buchanan, 1994).
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed in order to aid psychologists working with psychiatrists during World War II. The individuals, Hathaway and McKinley, began working on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) due to being frustrated with the lack of screening instruments and the amount of time psychiatric interviews would take which not only took up valuable time but also was expensive for the patients who underwent the interviews. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) emerged after the Rorschach (Ink Blot Test), which was a personality test using ink blots that patients would determine was pictures. These types of assessments did not meet the needs of the psychiatrists or psychologists. The first Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scale was published in 1940.
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) consists of 567 items and is scored by hand with overlaid keys or a computer. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has been translated for use in multiple countries. Since the development of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) there has been more research done and revisions have been made. There has recently been a new Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) developed called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The revision came about because of critiques by users and reviewers. Four main reasons include: “(a) problems with the norms that were outdated and nonrepresentative, thus potentially misleading; (b) concern that some items might be offensive or ambiguous; (c) inadequacies of linear T scores; and (d) desire to include additional scales (Austin, 1994).”
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has helped the evolvement of the field of psychology by changing the professional relationships between psychologist and psychiatrist. Due to this change after World War II the field of American Psychology grew. Without the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) the field of psychology would probably still be what it was years and years ago. The only time a person saw a psychologist or psychiatrist is if they were already in an “asylum” which at that point he or she was already declared legally “ill.”
Conclusion
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was first published in 1940 and was originally created by McKinley and Hathaway at the University of Minnesota. The funding for this project was provided by WPA. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed out of frustration due to not having adequate testing, the long amount of time needed for psychiatric interviews, and the extreme cost of the interviews. Over the years the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has been translated for use in multiple countries and has been revisions to the original MMPI which is now being referred to as the MMPI-2. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has helped pave the way of American Psychology to become what it is today because of the psychologists and psychiatrists working together to create a better field of psychology.
References
Austin, J. T. (1994). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). Measurement &
Evaluation in Counseling & Development (American Counseling Association), 27(3), 178. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Buchanan R. The development of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Journal of
the History of the Behavioral Sciences [serial online]. April 1994;30(2):148-161. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 12, 2011.
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