Table Of ContentMMPIPatterns of
American Minorities
W. Grant Dahlstrom, David Lachar,
and Leona E. Dahlstrom
with contributions by
Luther A. Diehl, Malcolm D. Gynther,
Kevin L. Moreland, and James T. Webb
University of Minnesota Press
Minneapolis
Copyright© 1986 by the University of
Minnesota
All rights reserved. No part ofthis
publication maybe reproduced, stored
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Publishedby the University of
Minnesota Press
2037 University Avenue Southeast,
Minneapolis, MN 55414.
Published simultaneously in Canada
by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited,
Markham.Printed in the United States
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LibraryofCongress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dahlstrom, W. Grant (William Grant)
MMPIpatterns ofAmerican
minorities.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Minnesota multiphasic personality
inventory. 2. Psychological tests—
United States. 3. Minorities—United
States—Psychology. I. Lachar, David.
II. Dahlstrom, Leona E. III. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Minority Groups—
psychology. 2. MMPI. WM 145
D131m] BF698.8.M5D34
1986 155.2°83 86-3369
ISBN 0-8166-1530-6
TheUniversityofMinnesota
isanequal-opportunity
educatorandemployer.
To the memory of
STARKE R. HATHAWAY
in recognition of his |
Sustained interest in all peoples
Contributors
W. Grant Dahlstrom
Ph.D. Professor ofPsychology,
University ofNorth Carolina,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Leona E. Dahlstrom
M.A. Clinical Psychologist,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Luther A. Diehl
Ph.D. ChiefPsychologist,
Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center,
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Malcolm D. Gynther
Ph.D. Professor ofPsychology,
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
David Lachar
Ph.D. Director ofPsychology Training and Research,
Institute ofBehavioral Medicine,
Good Samaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona,
and Adjunct Professor, Arizona State University
Kevin L. Moreland
Ph.D. Product Development Manager,
Professional Assessment Services,
National Computer Systems,
Minnetonka, Minnesota
James T. Webb
Ph.D. Professor ofPsychology,
School ofProfessional Psychology,
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio
CONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Ethnic Status and Personality Measurement 3
by W. Grant Dahlstrom
2. Previous MMPIResearch on Black Americans 24
by W. Grant Dahlstrom andMalcolm D. Gynther
3. MMPI Findings on Other American Minority
Groups 50
by Leona E. Dahlstrom
4. Community Samples ofBlack and White Adults 87
by W. Grant Dahlstrom, DavidLachar, Malcolm
D. Gynther, andJames T. Webb
5. MMPICorrelates ofthe Demographic Characteristics
ofBlack and White Normal Adults 104
by W. Grant Dahlstrom, LutherA. Diehl, and
David Lachar
6. Relationship ofEthnic Background and Other Demo-
graphic Characteristics to MMPI Patterns in Psychi-
atric Samples 139
by DavidLachar, W. Grant Dahlstrom, andKevin
L. Moreland
7. Patterns ofItem Endorsement on the MMPI 179
by DavidLachar, W. Grant Dahlstrom, andKevin
L. Moreland
8. Overview and Conclusions 188
by W. Grant Dahlstrom, DavidLachar, and
Leona E. Dahlstrom
Appendixes 207
>. Research Forms
M Scale Designations and Profile Coding
O Special Race-Related Scales
p Analyses ofRelationships between MMPI Scores
and Background Factors in Normal Samples
Analyses ofRelationships between MMPI Scores
m
and Background Factors in Psychiatric Samples
m Item Data on Normal and Psychiatric Samples
o MMPIFindings with Other Minority Groups
T T-Score Conversion Tables for the Tri-State and
Two-State Samples ofNormal Adults
Bibliography 403
Index 427
PREFACE
Social scientists who seek to analyze and documentthe personological
and behavioral characteristics associatedwith membershipin aparticu-
larsubgroup are oftenchidedforattemptingtocarryoutsuch studieson
groupsinwhichtheythemselvesarenotmembers.Althoughtheirprelim-
inary efforts may often be clumsy or inopportune, these investigators
shouldnotbefaultedformakingtheeffortmerelyonthegroundsofbeing
outsiders. No one can knowthe experiences ofany otherperson. Novel-
ists, poets, and biographers struggle to convey to their readers the com-
monelementsoftheblackexperience,oftheIndianway,oroftheAmish
life;butwhateverthesecommonalitiesmaybe,theycannotbeknowndi-
rectly by outsiders. They can only be inferred from the observations of
others, from distillations ofconversations, or from perceptions ofreac-
tions indirectly felt through empathy or recipathy.
Membershipinthesubgroupinquestion,itistrue,mayprovideanin-
vestigator with ready-madedistinctions, sharper perceptions, or more
acuteintuitions;butout-groupstatusmayinturnprovidesomecompen-
sating distance and a differingperspective. In-group feelings may create
strong impressions of a comforting commonality; nevertheless, the
humanconditionisuniversalandinevitable: weareallvictimsofthein-
escapable solipsism inherent in our biological autonomy. Wecan only
hopethatourmethodsinthebehavioralsciencesprovideuswithinsights
that are both supplementary and complementary to those coming from
intuitive writers and artists. Both approaches aim at converging on the
same fundamental goals: meaningful and accurate communication,use-
ful and productive understanding amongall humans.
Personality assessment shares with other techniquesin the social sci-
ences the goal ofdocumenting commonalities. Research on assessment
strivesto ascertainthesharedcharacteristicsofindividualsidentifiedby
Xx PREFACE
some assessmentscore orindex sothatthesecommonalitiescanbe used
to characterize the next individualso identified. Simple asthistaskmay
seem,ithasproventobefraughtwithvariouskindsoferrorandtherisks
ofinappropriategeneralization.Predictedcorrelatesoftheindexmaynot
be found whenscores are obtained on newsets ofsubjects, orthese fea-
turesmayturnouttoberelatedtoothercharacteristicsaswell,sothatthe
desired specificity is lacking. Much ofthe empirical research on assess-
mentis devoted to the task ofbracketing for a given score or index the
rangesofitsvalidgeneralization.Thelimitsthatarediscoveredmaythen
bespecifiedintermsofvariousbackgroundfeaturesofthesubjectsaswell
asthetemporallimitswithinwhichtheindex(togetherwithitsassociated
personologicalfeatures)providesadependableguidetoindividualassess-
ment. Thesefindingsmayfurnishthebasisforestablishingspecialnorms
likethoseforthetwosexesorfordifferentagelevelsorforgeneratingcor-
rective weights such as those for test-taking approach orattitude.
The present volume records a systematic effort to examine the evi-
denceforthegeneralizabilityofthevalidityoftheMinnesotaMultiphasic
Personality Inventory (MMPI), one ofthe mostwidely used personality
tests in theworld, as appliedto members ofvarious ethnic minorities in
theUnitedStates.Thefocusoftheempiricalresearchisonthedifferences
appearing on the MMPI between black and white men and women,but
the issues involve many other subcultural groups and minorities in this
countrytoday.Wehopethattheapproachreportedhereandtheprelimi-
naryfindingsoftheseinvestigationsmayserveasaguidetofuturestudies
ofthemanyotherdiversesubgroupsneedingsimilarexaminationandun-
derstanding.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Weareindebtedtoagreatnumberofpeoplewhohavehelpedinthevari-
ousphasesofthiseffort. Wewishtothankthosewhoaidedinthecollec-
tion ofthe data fromthe adultblackmen andwomen:in Michigan, Ms.
Dyan Taylor and Mr. Willie Busby; in North Carolina, Dr. William H.
Anderson and Mrs. Mary Thomas Tripp; in Alabama, Mr. Milton S.
Hurst. DatacollectioninthisphaseoftheprojectwasfundedbytheNa-
tional Institute ofDrugAbuse (NIDA Grant H81DA01879). Additional
dataonthewhitecommunitysamplefromOhioandWestVirginiawere
suppliedby Dr. JamesT. Webb and Dr. LutherA. Diehl. Datafromthe
Ohio psychiatric samplewere providedby Dr. John R. Graham ofKent
State University.
Statistical assistance was provided by Dr. Mark Appelbaum and Mr.
Jeffrey Brooks of the Department of Psychology at the University of
NorthCarolinaandbyDr.JamesL.GriselloftheLafayetteClinic.Prepa-
ration ofthe manuscript was facilitated by the assistance ofMrs. Mary
LynnEckertandMrs. BlancheCritcher.Anearlydraftofthemanuscript
was read by Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little, who made many helpful com-
ments. Without these many sources ofadvice and encouragementthis
volume would not have reached final publication.
The following tables and figures have been reproduced or adapted
from these sources with the permission of the authors and publishers
(where necessary):
from Journal ofClinicalPsychology:
the figures in chapter 2 were adapted from Gynther, Fowler, and
Erdberg(1971);tableG-13intheappendixwasexcerptedinpartfrom
table 1 in Mandelzys (1979); table G-22 was excerpted from tables 2
and 3 in McCreary and Padilla (1977).
xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
from Canadian Journal ofCriminology:
table G-13 was excerpted in part fromtable 2 in Mandelzys and Lane
(1980).
from Journal ofStudies on Alcohol:
table G-12 was adapted in part fromtable 1 in Uecker, Boutilier, and
Richardson (1980). Reprinted by permission from JournalofStudies
onAlcohol,vol.41,pp. 357-362, 1980.CopyrightbyJournalofStudies
on Alcohol, Inc., Rutgers CenterofAlcohol Studies, New Brunswick,
NJ, 08903.
from Journal ofPersonalityAssessment:
table G-21 was adapted from table 1 in Holland (1979).
from PsychologicalReports:
table G-25 was adapted from table 3 in Hibbs, Kobos, and Gonzalez
1979). Reprinted with permission of authors and publisher from:
Hibbs,B.J.,Kobos,J.C.,andGonzalez,J.Effectsofethnicity,sex,and
ageonMMPIprofiles.PsychologicalReports, 1979, 45, 591-597,table
3.
from Journal ofConsulting and ClinicalPsychology:
table G-16 was adapted in partfromtable 2 in Butcher, Braswell, and
Raney (1983); table G-20 was adapted from table 1 in Penk etal.
(1981b).
Dissertations and theses by the following individuals were also ab-
stracted and excerpts included in appendix G: Dr. Steven Abe, Dr.J. F.
Bryde, Mr. R.WarrenBull,Mr.B. S.Francis,Dr.RobinLaDue,Dr.J. R.
Murphy, Dr. Grant Plemons, and Dr. Rex Selters.
Additional data and further analyses were provided by Dr. Jerry
McGill,Dr. RonaldD. Page, Mr.JamesH. Panton,Dr. WalterPenk,Dr.
RobertR.Reilley, Dr. Vitali Rozynko, Dr. James H. Shore, Dr. William
Tsushima, Mr. Roberto Velasquez, Dr. Glenn White, and Dr. J. S.
Wormith.
Wewish to express ourgrateful appreciation to all ofthese investiga-
tors for their generous help and kind support.
