Comparison of nonpsychiatric blacks and whites on the MMPI

The literature indicates inconsistent results when MMPI differences between black Ss and white Ss were investigated. In general, most studies found that blacks responded in a more pathological direction. However, previous studies can be criticized because they have used students, prisoners, and hospital patients as Ss with variables that were controlled inconsistently and varied widely. In this study a comparison was made of MMPI scales for 56 black and 56 white males who were full-time employees of a large chemical company. Ss were matched for age, education, occupation, seniority, mental ability level, and socioeconomic level. The 10 standard clinical and 3 validity MMPI scales were recorded for each S as well as six experimental scales: Control (C), Dependency (DPD), Dominance (DOM), Ego Strength (ES), Anxiety Index (AI), and Internalization Ratio (IR). Using K corrected T-scores for the MMPI scales, a repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that subtests and group X subtests were significant. More specifically, blacks scored significantly higher than white Ss on the MA scale, and white Ss scored significantly higher than blacks on the PA, C, DOM, and Es scales. While the present study did find significant differences between black and white Ss on the MMPI, the scores were all well within the normal range (T less than 70), and all scales but two were less than 60.