Abstract

This study is aimed to examine the diagnostic function of the validity scales and the items of validity scales in the MMPI. Material of this study was MMPI answer sheets, which were administered in the psychiatric hospital the purpose of psychiatric diagnosis. The diagnostic groups were consisted of normal, anxiety neurosis, depressive neurosis, paranoid schizophrenia, non paranoid schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia, and personality disorder. According to the diagnosis, responses of validity scale items and validity scale values were analyzed. The results were as follow: 1) Among the items of F and K scale, some items were showed to be highly discriminative power between normal and psychiatric diagnostic groups. However, these items were low in the differential diagnostic power between psychiatric groups. 2) In the normal group, the pattern of validity scales appears to be V shape. The scale value of F cale was T score 39. Land K scale values were T score about 58. 3) In the paranoid and non paranoid schizophrenia, F scale was the highest as a T score 67. And the shape of the validity scales was the reversed pattern of the normal group such as pyramidal shape. 4) Levels and shapes of validity scales in the anxiety neurosis and depressive neurossis were very similar to those in the chronic schizophrenia. Levels and patterns of validity scales seem to be important diagnostic cues, particularly indicative in the paranoid and non paranoid schizophrenia. But it is also suggested that sufficient understanding of the response process such as test-taking attitude is needed to interprete soundly of higher F scale value.