CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC F SCALE EVALUATED IN EXPERIMENTAL NEUROSIS
Abstract
Material is presented which indicates that an elevated F score on the MMPI in subjects with clinically established personality disturbances cannot necessarily be interpreted in the sense of questionable validity of the scores on the psychiatric scales of the inventory.
The data were obtained in an experiment on the effects of prolonged semistarvation, in the course of which several individuals suffered a pronounced personality deterioration, reflected in the elevated scores on the neurotic and, in some cases, also on the psychotic scales.
The analysis of the critical items of the F scale demonstrated that in the overwhelming majority the responses were in complete agreement with the clinical picture. In view of this evidence care must be taken not to interpret high F scores automatically as evidence of invalidity of the profile.
We share the sentiments of Kazan and Sheinberg, who arrived at the same conclusion on the basis of purely clinical material, that the concept and use of the F scale simply as a validating score is questionable. It must be recognized that a high F score often may indicate the presence of a significant personality disturbance.
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