A validity study of the MMPI-TRI Acting-out Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Personality psychology
• Clinical psychology

Background:

• The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely used psychological assessment tool.
• The validity of specific MMPI scales, such as the Acting-out scale, requires ongoing empirical investigation.
• Understanding gender differences in personality assessment is crucial for accurate interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity of the MMPI Acting-out scale in a college student population.
• To examine gender-based differences in the scale's correlations with various behavioral measures.
• To determine if the Acting-out scale is a more reliable indicator of specific behaviors in women compared to men.

Main Methods:

• Administered the 1995 MMPI-TRI and a short-form MMPI (including Subjective Distress, Acting-out, and Psychosis scales) to 49 college men and 45 women.
• Assessed sexual and aggressive acting out, alcohol use, and drug use to test the validity of the Acting-out scale.
• Analyzed correlations between Acting-out scale scores and behavioral measures for each gender.

Main Results:

• Women exhibited significant correlations between the Acting-out scale and measures of sexual sensation seeking, sexual compulsion, anger control, anger-out, anger-in, and drug use.
• Men showed significant correlations for sexual compulsion, anger control, anger-in, and alcohol use, but not anger-out.
• The Acting-out scale demonstrated stronger and more consistent validity for college women than for college men.

Conclusions:

• The MMPI Acting-out scale appears to be a more valid measure for college women than for college men.
• Gender differences in personality expression and reporting influence the interpretation of MMPI scales.
• Further research is warranted to refine the Acting-out scale and explore its cross-gender applicability.