Validity scales help test administrators understand how genuine a test taker’s answers are. This scale considers, among other things, your: This is the degree to which you seek out or withdraw from social interactions. One of the later additions to the MMPI, this 69-item scale measures extroversion or introversion. If you have a high Scale 9 score, you may be having symptoms associated with bipolar disorder. The purpose of this 46-item scale is to evaluate the symptoms associated with hypomania, including: It also determines to what degree you may feel alienated from the rest of society. It considers whether you’re experiencing hallucinations, delusions, or bouts of extremely disorganized thinking. This 78-item scale is intended to show whether you have, or are likely to develop, a schizophrenia disorder. The term “psychasthenia” is no longer used as a diagnosis, but mental health professionals still use this scale as a way of evaluating unhealthy compulsions and the disruptive feelings they cause.

symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

High scores on this scale could indicate that you are dealing with either a psychosis disorder or a paranoid personality disorder.

feelings of being persecuted by society.

This scale, which has 40 questions, evaluates symptoms associated with psychosis, particularly:

Today, this scale is used to evaluate how consistently you seem to identify with gender norms.

It stems from a time in which some mental health professionals viewed same-sex attraction as a disorder. The original purpose of this 56-question test section was to elicit information about people’s sexuality. If you score very high on this scale, you might receive a diagnosis with a personality disorder. Its 50 items measure antisocial behaviors and attitudes, in addition to compliance or resistance to authority. This scale was originally intended to reveal whether you are experiencing psychopathology. Studies have shown that people with chronic pain may score higher on the first three scales because of prolonged, heightened health concerns.

This 60-item scale evaluates your response to stress, including both your physical symptoms and emotional response to being under pressure. This scale, which has 57 items, measures satisfaction with your own life.Ī person with a very high Scale 2 score could be dealing with clinical depression or having frequent suicidal thoughts.Ī slightly elevated score on this scale could be an indication that you’re withdrawn or unhappy with your circumstances. This scale contains 32 items and is designed to measure whether you have an unhealthy concern for your own health.Ī high score on this scale could mean that worrying about your health is interfering with your life and causing problems in your relationships.įor example, a person with a high Scale 1 score might be prone to developing physical symptoms that don’t have an underlying cause, especially during periods of high stress. Here’s a brief explanation of what each scale evaluates. Generally speaking, very high scores may indicate a mental health disorder. The test items on the MMPI are designed to find out where you are on ten different mental health scales.Įach scale relates to a different psychological pattern or condition, but there’s a lot of overlap between the scales.

Mmpi test 567 questions list