An empirically derived MMPI scale which measures facilitation-inhibition of recognition of threatening stimuli

Abstract

PROBLEMThe dual nature of perceptual defense, the facilitation or inhibition of response to threatening stimuli, is likely to be manifested in projective test protocols (6, 11). The explicit use of case history material to identify facilitators and inhibitors among hospitalized psychiatric patients was introduced by Ullmann (20). I n further work @2), the case history technique was refined and its use illustrated by replicated significant differences obtained between facilitators and inhibitors in humor preference. A number of difficulties, however, exist in the case history technique. To reduce t6ese weaknesses, this paper introduces an empirically derived scale measuring facilitationinhibition.The first difficulty with case history material involves rater reliability. To improve rater reliability, borderline cases are placed in an "unspecifiable" group. This procedure reduces the number of cases available for further work by approximately 40%. Aside from the reduction of usable sample size, categorization of subjects as internalizers, or externalizers, or acters-out, eliminates the possibility of using correlational techniques of greater power and flexibility. Another type of difficulty occurs when generalization or application to a college population is desired. Case histories are not available for normal subjects as they are for hospital populations, and even if such material were available, the inappropriate behavior used to make ratings would not be present to the same degree. An MMPI scale would eliminate error introduced in the scoring process, assign a designation to all subjects, provide scores on a continuum permitting the use of correlational techniques, and, if successful, be useful in both hospitalized and normal populations.The feasibility of developing such an MMPI scale had been indicated by findings with both patient and student populations. Using the case history technique, four samples of patients had been investigated. I n the first two 21), this author was the rater and found that the F minus K index differentiated facilitators from inhibitors and that the PA scale distinguished externalizers from acters-out and inhibitors. With two other Lim was the case rater, and the F minus K index again distinguished facilitators from inhibitors. While the association between the PA scale and the externalizer category was not replicated, the PD scale was found to distinguish acters-out from externalizers and internalizers. Aside from indicating likely success of the venture, these findings also indicated the need to use a crossvalidational technique and the value of screening all MMPI items rather than only those MMPI scales most frequently used to identify sensitizers and repressors.2The MMPI, especially HY and PT scale items, has been successfully used to identify sensitizers and repressors among college studentsc4, 7, *, 9 , lo, l 2 -13, 16, 17, l*).Altrocchi, Parsons and Dickoff ( l ) subtracted standard scores on D, PT (without K), and from standard scores on L, K, and D N ( '~) in order to identif...

Variations in Cognitive Control and Psychophysiological Defense in the Schizophrenias

“…(In the unpublished KFA study referred to earlier, anxiety scores and defensiveness scores 127 were found to separate augmenters and reducers within certain of the schizophrenic subgroups. The pattern of results clearly suggested that both level of anxiety and defensiveness are also important variables to consider in future researches.…”

Convergences Among Stylistic Response Measures from Objective Personality Tests

“…Relatively pure measures of this factor are obtained with Welsh's Anxiety scale (A), a &dquo;social desirability&dquo; scale comprised exclusively of Welsh's items (Sd-A), a &dquo;social desirability&dquo; scale comprised mainly of anxiety items (Edwards SD) and, interestingly enough, Ullmann's (1962) empirically-derived measure of conflict denial vs externalization. Several presumed measures of response acquiescence (B, PM-3, Bn, Dy-3, Acq) have significant loadings on Factor Alpha, although they derive their major definitions from loadings on Factor Beta.…”

The Development of Defense Mechanisms

“…GIeser and Ihilevich (1969) reported correlations of .97 and .96 between the Byrne R-S scale and the MMPI Anxiety scale (Welsh, 1956) for two independent groups of male and female outpatients. Mendelsohn and Griswold (1967) reported a correlation of .90 between Ullmann's (1962) form of the R-S scale and the MMPI Anxiety scale. Golin, Herron, Lakota, and Reineck (1967) reported a correlation of .87 between the Byrne R-S scale and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS).…”

“…Also, Alker 140 7. Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses found that the Projection scale correlated significantly with Ullmann's (1962) modification of Byrne's R-S scale,3 but the defense score resulting from the combination of these two scales was unrelated to the third measure of projection (Zimmer, 1955; see later).…”