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SOME MMPI (MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY) DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIRST AND MULTIPLE ADMISSIONS WITHIN A STATE PRISON POPULATION

NCJ Number
46381
Journal
Journal of Clinical Psychology Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: (JULY 1976) Pages: 555-558
Author(s)
T C ADAMS
Date Published
1976
Length
4 pages
Annotation
TO EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PERSONALITY FACTORS AND RECIDIVISM, 6 SCALES OF THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI) WERE ADMINISTERED TO 50 FIRST-TIME OFFENDERS AND TO 50 MULTIPLE OFFENDERS.
Abstract
THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT THE WESTERN AREA RECEPTION AND DIAGNOSTIC CENTER, BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA. THE MULTIPLE OFFENDERS HAD HAD THREE OR MORE PRIOR PRISON TERMS. INMATES RANGED IN AGE FROM 19 TO 56 YEARS. SCALES USED INCLUDED PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIANCY (PD), EGO STRENGTH (ES), RESPONSIBILITY (RE), PREJUDICE (PR), PRISON ADJUSTMENT (AP), AND HABITUAL CRIMINAL (HC). AGE AND INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ) DISTRIBUTIONS FOR BOTH OFFENDER GROUPS WERE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME, ALTHOUGH IQ'S WERE ON THE AVERAGE HIGHER THAN THAT FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION SEEN AT THE CENTER. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN OVERALL GROUP PROFILES, BUT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND ON THE INDIVIDUAL SCALES. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN THE GROUPS ON THE PD, AP, AND HC SCALES, WITH MULTIPLE OFFENDERS SCORING IN THE HIGHER DIRECTION. THE HIGH PD SCORES FOR MULTIPLE OFFENDERS, REFLECTIVE OF REPEATED AND FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND MORES, RAISES THE QUESTION OF A POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INCARCERATION AND PERPETUATION OF A RECIDIVISTIC CYCLE. HIGH AP SCORES FOR MULTIPLE OFFENDERS SUGGEST THAT THEY MAY BE HIGH-RISK CANDIDATES FOR MALADJUSTMENT. FINALLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HIGH HC SCORES IN FIRST OFFENDERS MAY INDICATE THE DIAGNOSTIC VALIDITY OF THE MMPI IN DETERMINING PROBABILITY OF RECIDIVISM AND IN DETERMINING TREATMENT STRATEGY. STANDARD DEVIATIONS FOR BOTH GROUPS ON ALL VARIABLES ARE GIVEN IN TABULAR FORM. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)

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