The Meaning and Clinical Implications of Low MMPI-3 Self-Importance Scores

Abstract

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) includes two self-concept-oriented scales: Self-Doubt (SFD), a measure of low self-esteem, and Self-Importance (SFI), a measure of beliefs that one has special attributes and abilities. Past research has demonstrated that SFD and SFI measure related but distinct constructs. The present study focused on explicating the meaning and clinical implications of low SFI scores. Using three clinical samples (private practice and community mental health and private practice neuropsychology clinics), we investigated whether the presence of interpretable low SFI scores (< 39 T) in the context of interpretable SFD elevations (≥ 65 T) is associated with distinctive MMPI-3 findings, and whether low SFI scores add clinically meaningful information in predicting relevant extra-test criteria. Consistent meaningful findings were obtained with respect to implications of low SFI scores for assessment of depression- and social engagement-related constructs. Additionally, the full range of SFI scores was meaningfully and negatively correlated with depressive disorder diagnoses and suicidal ideation but yielded very small correlations with suicide attempt and nonmeaningful correlations with diagnoses of Social Anxiety or Avoidant Personality Disorder. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses showed that SFI scores could meaningfully increment other related MMPI-3 scales in predicting diagnosed depressive disorders, albeit with small effect sizes.

Data availability statement

The data and syntax that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 Neither the psychologists who wrote the reports nor the raters who identified these concerns were aware of candidates’ SFI scores.

2 Data from the CMH and PPMH samples were previously analyzed and reported by Sellbom et al. (2021). Data from the neuropsychology sample were also previously analyzed by Whitman, Tylicki et al. (2021).

Additional information

Funding

This research is grant-funded by the University of Minnesota Press. Regarding conflicts of interest, David M. McCord and Yossef S. Ben-Porath receive research funding from the MMPI-3 test publisher, the University of Minnesota Press. William H. Menton is a paid consultant to the University of Minnesota Press. As coauthor of the MMPI-3, Yossef S. Ben-Porath receives royalties on sales of the test.