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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; Psychology, Pathological; Academic theses;

Abstract

The present study sought to examine the utility of the MMPI-2-RF (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) in assessing psychopathic personality traits. In past studies, the Restructured Clinical scales (RC4, RC9, RC7, and RC2) have been positive predictors of psychopathic characteristics. The aim of this study is to validate and build upon the previous research by re-examining the Restructured Clinical scales (RC4, RC9, RC7, and RC2) and investigate the MMPI-2-RF fear scales (Behavioral-Restricting Fears & Multiple Specific Fears), High-Order Scale (Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction), Externalizing Scale (Juvenile Conduct Problems and Substance Abuse) and the Personality Psychopathology Five scales (Negative-Emotionality/Neuroticism-Revised & Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-Revised). It was hypothesized that the RC scales 4 and 9 would be positively correlated with psychopathy while RC scales 7 and 2 would be negatively correlated with psychopathy as shown in previous research (see Sellbom, Ben-Porath, & Graham, 2005). In addition, it was hypothesized that Behavior Restricting Fears and Multiple Specific Fears scales would have negative correlation with psychopathy. In conjecture with this, the High-Order Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction scale and the Externalizing scales (Juvenile Conduct Problems and Substance Abuse) would be positively correlated with psychopathy. In general, the Psychopathology Five Negative-Emotionality/Neuroticism-Revised and Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-Revised scales will be negatively correlated with psychopathic factors while the Disconstraint-Revised will be positively correlated with psychopathic factors. Overall, the results supported the hypotheses with selected MMPI- 2-RF scales effectively assessing psychopathic traits in nonclinical samples as measured by the PPI-R.

Year of Submission

2011

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Psychology

First Advisor

John E. Williams

Second Advisor

Linda L. Walsh

Third Advisor

Clemens Bartollas

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2011

Object Description

1 PDF file (117 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Included in

Psychology Commons

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