Sensitivity of MMPI Validity Scales to Motivational Factors in Psychological Evaluations of Police Officers

To examine whether Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) validity scales are sensitive to motivational sets in a specific forensic population, we compared three groups of 20 police officers being evaluated for fitness to return to duty: those who expressed a desire to return; those desi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality assessment 1990-12, Vol.55 (3-4), p.549-561
Main Authors: Grossman, Linda S., Haywood, Thomas W., Ostrov, Eric, Wasyliw, Orest, Cavanaugh Jr, James L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Occupational psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics
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Summary:To examine whether Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) validity scales are sensitive to motivational sets in a specific forensic population, we compared three groups of 20 police officers being evaluated for fitness to return to duty: those who expressed a desire to return; those desiring not to, and a control group. Results indicate that four validity indices Significantly differentiated experimental groups in the expected directions. Officers wanting to return to duty minimized psychological difficulties significantly more than the other groups. Thus, our study supports the usefulness of MMPI validity scales in assessing response bias in police fitness evaluations. Data suggest that minimization occurs primarily for obvious emotional or characterological problems.
ISSN:0022-3891
1532-7752
DOI:10.1080/00223891.1990.9674090