Implications of MMPI/MMPI–A Findings for Understanding Adolescent Development and Psychopathology

Abstract

The MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) and the MMPI–Adolescent (MMPI–A; Butcher et al., 1992) have been used in the evaluation of adolescents for over 60 years, resulting in over 200 studies involving tens of thousands of adolescents. This literature not only informs us concerning characteristics of this test instrument but also holds important implications for our understanding of adolescent development and psychopathology. In this article, based on an invited master lecture at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment, I present several points illustrating the relevance of MMPI and MMPI–A research in enriching our understanding of adolescence.