Is the MMPI a Personality Test?
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is fundamentally a comprehensive psychopathology assessment instrument, not a pure personality test—it measures both personality traits and psychiatric symptoms across a broad spectrum of mental disorders. 1, 2
What the MMPI Actually Measures
The MMPI and its modern versions (MMPI-2-RF, MMPI-A-RF) are designed as broadband measures of psychopathology and personality that assess multiple dimensions simultaneously 2, 3:
- Psychiatric symptomatology: The instrument evaluates major psychiatric disorders including psychotic symptoms, mood disturbances, and anxiety 4
- Personality dimensions: It captures characteristic defense mechanisms, capacity to manage anxiety, ways of dealing with aggression, stability of reality contact, quality of interpersonal relationships, and overall level of psychopathology 5
- Maladaptive personality traits: The MMPI-2-RF specifically assesses pathological personality characteristics aligned with contemporary dimensional models of personality disorders 1, 2
Clinical Context and Proper Use
The MMPI should be understood as a psychopathology screening and diagnostic aid rather than a traditional personality inventory 2:
- It was developed and validated to identify psychiatric conditions and assess symptom severity across the traditional categories of mental disorder: psychotic, neurotic, and character disorder 4
- The instrument provides comprehensive assessment in clinical, forensic, presurgical, and public safety screening contexts 2
- Modern versions (MMPI-2-RF) have been restructured to align with contemporary dimensional models of both psychopathology and personality 2
Important Distinction
While the MMPI does assess personality characteristics, calling it simply a "personality test" is misleading because:
- Its primary purpose is broad psychiatric assessment rather than normal-range personality description 2, 4
- It measures both state (current symptoms) and trait (enduring personality patterns) features 5
- The instrument is specifically designed to detect psychopathology and clinical dysfunction, not just describe personality style 3
The MMPI is best characterized as a comprehensive clinical assessment tool that evaluates both personality functioning and psychiatric symptoms, making it more accurately described as a psychopathology inventory with personality components. 1, 2