Essentials of MCMI-IV Assessment (eBook)

SETH GROSSMAN, Psy.D. is the preeminent expert on Millon assessment and primary coauthor of the MCMI-IV test. He has led its development since January 2014. A longtime collaborator with Theodore Millon, he coauthored more than 40 texts, chapters, psychological instruments, and peer-reviewed articles related to Millon Inventories. Dr. Grossman is Director of the Center for Psychological Fitness in Cooper City, Florida. BLAISE AMENDOLACE, Psy.D. is the assessment coordinator for Florida Atlantic University's Counseling and Psychological Services. He specializes in therapeutic personality assessment and focuses on trauma and abuse survivors. He is an adjunct faculty member at several universities and is in group practice at The Center for Psychological Fitness.

List of Figures xiii

List of Tables xv

Series Preface xvii

One: History and Development of the MCMI¯® Through MCMI¯®-IV 1

Construction of the Legacy MCMI Tests (MCMI, MCMI-II, MCMI-III) 3

Development of the MCMI-IV 7

Test Yourself 16

Two: MCMI¯®-IV and Millon Evolutionary Theory 19

Personality as Focal Point in Clinical Assessment and Intervention 19

An Evolutionary Model of Personality 20

Motivating Aims 21

Problematic Patterns in Motivating Aims 23

Levels of Adaptiveness 25

Structural and Functional Domains 25

Applying Millon's Evolutionary Theory to the MCMI-IV 29

Test Yourself 30

Three: Administration and Scoring 33

Administration 33

Scoring 35

Test Yourself 38

Four: Sections and Scales 41

Validity and Modifying Indices 42

Noteworthy Responses 44

Clinical Personality Patterns 45

Severe Personality Pathology 77

Clinical Syndromes 85

Severe Clinical Syndromes 87

Grossman Facet Scales 88

Test Yourself 95

Five: Interpretive Principles 97

Role of Personality in Assessment: A Recapitulation 97

Building an Integrative MCMI-IV Interpretation 99

Integrating the Overall Clinical Picture 107

Test Yourself 107

Six: Therapeutic Alliance Building 109

Introducing the MCMI-IV to the Examinee 110

Preparing the Examinee for Feedback 111

The Examiner's Initial Preparation for Feedback 111

Moving Away From Labels 112

Understanding the Examinee's Test-Taking Style (Modifying Indices) 113

Language of the Theory = Language of Alliance 1: Individual Personality Scales 114

Language of the Theory = Language of Alliance 2: Multiple Personality Scales 115

Language of the Theory = Language of Alliance 3: Facet Scales 117

Language of the Theory = Language of Alliance 4: Clinical Symptomology 119

Test Yourself 120

Seven: Strengths and Weaknesses of the MCMI¯®-IV 123
A. Jordan Wright

Strengths 123

Weaknesses 127

Final Comment 133

Test Yourself 135

Eight: Clinical Applications of the Millon Inventories 137

Key MCMI-IV Augmentation: Personality Spectra and Clinical Populations 137

The MCMI-IV in Clinical Assessment 139

Specific Assessment Applications With the MCMI 142

Other Millon Inventories 144

Test Yourself 148

Nine: Illustrative Case Reports 151

Case Example 1 151

Case Example 2 160

References 169

About the Authors 175

Index 177