Personality Assessment with the MMPI‐2: Historical Roots, International Adaptations, and Current Challenges

Abstract

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory‐2 (MMPI‐2) is the most widely used personality test in psychological practice. Although originally developed during the middle of the last century in the United States, its use today extends around the world. The MMPI‐2 is a robust measure given its strong empirical tradition and many innovations. Recent years have seen controversial changes to this standard of psychological assessment. New scales were added in 2003 (i.e. the Restructured Clinical or RC Scales) and the Fake Bad Scale (FBS) was included in the MMPI‐2 in 2007. A new instrument called the MMPI‐2 Restructured Form (MMPI‐2‐RF) was released in 2008 with the RC Scales replacing the well‐validated MMPI‐2 Clinical Scales; 40 per cent of its items eliminated; a shortened FBS included; and most of its 50 scales introduced for the first time. This article traces the history of the evolving MMPI‐2 with special attention to its international applications, and offers a perspective on the radical departure from past MMPI‐2 research represented by the RC Scales, FBS, the MMPI‐2‐RF, and other recent changes to this standard in the field.