The 4-5-6 configuration on the MMPI in bulimics vs. controls

The 4-5-6 configuration on the MMPI for females has been associated with problems in the direct expression of anger, as well as excessive dependency and affectional needs (Greene, 1980). Because these characteristics frequently have been ascribed to bulimic women, we hypothesized that the incidence of the 4-5-6 configuration would be greater for bulimic women (n = 26) than for female outpatients (n = 40) or a nonpsychiatric population (n = 31). We did not find the predicted differences in incidence of the 4-5-6 configuration in a study that used conventional cut-offs and treated the configuration as a discrete variable. However, when the characteristic was measured as a continuous variable, the nonpsychiatric population differed significantly from both clinical populations. Results are discussed in terms of feminine role conflict as a factor that differentiates women who seek psychiatric treatment from those who do not.