Mmpi normal. Basics of interpretation of the methodology for multilateral personality research

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One of the frequently asked questions to me is the following: “What can SMIL show, and where can I see an example of profile analysis?” This article is an attempt to answer it.

I remind you that you can do it with me.

If you are interested in the question of “hacking” / “cheating” a test, then there is a topic on this topic.

About the SMIL test

SMIL test ( standardized method personality research) is the well-known Western test MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) adapted to post-Soviet realities.

It was originally developed for the purpose of professional selection of pilots during World War II. It was designed in such a way as to compare the subject's answers with those given by people with certain symptoms.

That is, relatively speaking, they took 100,500 schizophrenics, depressives, hysterics and other psychos, looked at how they answered questions, created special scales based on the distribution of answers, and now compare the distribution of the subject’s answers with these reference values. If the answers “matched” on one of the scales, it was considered that the subject also had the corresponding symptoms. In those days, the SMIL scales (more on what they are below) had different names and a different meaning, tied to Kraepellin’s clinical classification.

For example, what is now called the “pessimism scale” was called the “depression scale,” and the “individualism scale” was formerly the “schizophrenia scale.”

Then the technique was improved in such a way as to examine precisely personal characteristics, even not reaching clinical manifestations. The scales have received new names, and we are an excellent tool for determining personality traits.

Then, starting from the 60s, it was adapted to domestic realities(This is how SMIL from MMPI came about). Quite a lot of work was done - the questions and answers were not just translated, but actually recalibrated again, using the original as a basis. The last major update was carried out in the 70s by L.N. Sobchik.

What is this test? This is a questionnaire consisting of 566 questions. There are only answers there three types: “True”, “False” and “I don’t know”. But despite this, passing the test takes quite a long time, from an hour to two and a half.

You can take this test on the Internet; I personally like this script:
http://www.psychol-ok.ru/statistics/mmpi/

After passing the test, the subject receives a set of numerical values ​​distributed across ten main and three additional scales. For ease of interpretation, a graph is plotted. It all looks something like this:

No additional information The methodology for calculating these answers does not itself provide, the resulting graph must be interpreted.

Profile credibility

One of the main features of the SMIL test is a built-in test of the validity of the results - its structure includes three special scales, which can be used to assess how sincere the subject was, whether he tried to embellish his image in some way (or, conversely, to make himself look worse light). These scales are called confidence scales. Let's look at them.

Scale L (“Lies”)

The score on this scale is 42 points, which indicates the absence of the subject’s tendency to present himself in the most favorable light possible, demonstrating very strict adherence social norms. The subject admits that he has certain weaknesses and is able to openly declare their presence. According to this scale, the profile is reliable.

Scale F (“Confidence”)

This scale is in some way the opposite of the previous one; it shows how “honest” the subject’s answers were. IN in this case the value on this scale is 66 points. This value is within the standard range and shows that the profile is reliable.

At the same time, judging by this scale, we can conclude that the subject is a somewhat disharmonious person, in a state of discomfort, which may reflect emotional instability.

Scale K (“Corrections”)

This scale shows the desire of the subject to adjust his answers in accordance with some imaginary “correct”, socially acceptable way. In this case, the value on this scale is 55 points, which is a moderately elevated value and reflects the subject’s natural defensive reaction to an attempt to invade the world of her innermost experiences.

This also indirectly indicates the subject’s good ability to control the expression of her own emotions (which is consistent with an increase on scale 1). According to this scale, the profile is reliable.

Difference F – K

The difference between the values ​​on the F and K scales is +11 points, which indicates that during the examination there was a vaguely expressed tendency to emphasize existing problems, to dramatize one’s difficulties, and to aggravate one’s condition.

--
General conclusion: The profile is valid and will be interpreted.

General profile description

This profile shows us that the subject is a person with a rather original (different from the cultural norm) inner world, but at the same time emotionally immature, prone to excessive control over her emotions.

This control is most likely a way to cope with anxiety, which is a characterological trait of the subject. The subject is prone to introversion, which may be a consequence of the originality of her thinking, but most likely also has characterological prerequisites. At the same time, the subject maintains a fairly high level of optimism, sometimes reaching the point of exaltation.

In a nutshell: infantile schizoid.
Basic (personality) scales

This profile has a significant increase on scale 8 (“Individualism”) to the level of maladjustment. This means that the parameters determined by this scale are so exaggerated that, to one degree or another, they pose a problem for the subject and interfere with her adaptation to living conditions. This mechanism will be discussed in more detail below.
In addition, there is an increase on scale 9 (“Optimism”) to the level of personal accentuation. This means that the indicators and characteristics defined by this scale in ordinary life do not interfere with the test subject, but may present difficulties in some subjectively emotionally difficult situations.

This profile has increases on scales 0 (“Introversion”), 7 (“Anxiety”), 6 (“Rigidity”), 3 (“Emotional lability”), 5 (“Masculinity-Femininity”) and 2 (“Pessimism”) . These scales have been raised to the level of characterological features, which means that they do not interfere with the subject’s adaptation, do not pose a problem for her, but they are the ones that are most clearly expressed in her character, they determine it.

Let us consider the indicators of all these scales in more detail.

Scale 8 (“Individualism”) in this profile reveals a separate-contemplative personal position, an analytical mindset; the tendency to think prevails over feelings and effective activity.

A holistic style of perception predominates, the ability to recreate a complete image based on minimal information. With good intelligence, individuals of this type are distinguished by creative orientation, originality of statements and judgments, originality of interests and hobbies.

There is a certain selectivity in contacts, further enhanced by an increase on scale 0 (“Introversion”), a certain subjectivity in assessing people and phenomena in life around us, independence of views, a tendency towards abstraction, i.e. to generalizations and information abstracted from specifics and everyday life.

A pronounced need to actualize one’s individuality is revealed. It is more difficult for individuals in this circle to adapt to everyday forms of life and the prosaic aspects of everyday life.
Their individuality is so pronounced that it is virtually useless to predict their statements and actions by comparing them with familiar stereotypes.

They have an insufficiently formed rational platform based on everyday experience; they are more focused on their subjectivity and intuition. At the same time, this individuality, defined by scale 8, is intricately combined with uncertainty, defined by scale 7, and is partly of a compensatory nature - the subject seeks to establish herself in the world, sharpening and exaggerating her personal characteristics. This pattern shows her emotional immaturity.

Scale 0, in turn, indicates that the subject has a significant interest in her inner world. Perhaps sometimes it is more interesting and attractive to her than the outside world.

The subject is characterized by an acute need for acceptance and self-actualization, but she herself interferes with its satisfaction by hiding her inner world, as if fearing that it would be destroyed or damaged. It is closed to outsiders.

This makes it even more difficult to form and maintain social contacts (partially offset by scale 9, but this scale gives a slight increase in the quantity, but not the quality, depth of these contacts). In such conditions, satisfying the need for acceptance is extremely difficult.

What for the majority is a critical situation is often regarded differently by persons with a high 8th scale due to the uniqueness of their hierarchy of values. The situation, which they subjectively perceive as stress, causes a state of confusion.

The protective mechanism that manifests itself during the transformation of anxiety is intellectual processing and withdrawal into the world of dreams and fantasies. In addition to this mechanism, determined by the eighth scale, the subject is characterized by another, determined by a combination of scales 1 and 7 and expressed as a rise on scale 9 - compensatory optimism: the mood is elevated, but in response to opposition, an angry reaction easily flares up and just as easily fades away; success causes a certain exaltation, an emotion of pride. This state can reach the point of exaltation and is psychologically a response to anxiety, a way to overcome it.

This second mechanism can be defined as a hypercompensatory reaction of a pseudomanic type with a tendency to deny problems in an objectively difficult situation that threatens with serious consequences. Here it is necessary to take into account that a rise on a scale of 8 indicates that the subject does not perceive situations that may seem difficult to others (and vice versa), which adds unpredictability and originality to her reactions.

But there is also a third (less noticeable) mechanism, determined by scales 7 and 1 - the tendency to double-check what has been done, the need for total control, absolute understanding of the situation (scales 8, 7 and 1 indicate that for the subject “to completely understand” = “ master, take control and, accordingly, reduce anxiety"). What’s interesting is that anxiety itself, thanks to the work of the second mechanism, may not be felt and manifest itself at the level of behavior (rechecking, numerous clarifying questions) or at the level of somatic symptoms, determined by scale 1.

In addition, the subject can use an irrational type of reaction with escape into the unreal world of fantasies and dreams. Or simply irrationally deny the problem/concern

And, if none of these mechanisms works, the subject may demonstrate escapism - passive avoidance of the problem, escape from problems, withdrawal from social activity.

Finally, as a last resort, somatization of anxiety or conflict can be used, when psychological phenomena that are difficult to live with are repressed to the bodily level and manifest themselves in various kinds of difficult-to-explain pains, ailments, etc. Panic attacks are possible. This is not the most characteristic pattern for this subject, but sometimes it definitely appears.

With excessive emotional tension, difficult maladjustment is manifested by an increased focus on deviations from the norm, both in terms of interpersonal relationships and in the area of ​​well-being.

An elevated scale of 9 gives anxiety, determined by scale 7, a tinge of agitation (so-called agitated anxiety). In general, getting rid of anxiety is one of the leading deep needs of the subject.

Perseverative thinking (with a tendency to repeat, to get stuck); unstable, autochthonously fluctuating attention is compensated by a tendency to double-check what has been done and an increased sense of duty. Lack of clarity in the style of perception is corrected by the habit of repeated (clarifying) actions. There is marked sensitivity, a tendency to doubt, reflexivity, and excessive self-criticism, which is partly compensated by an optimistic view of things, determined by scale 9.

Persons of this type are characterized by an imperative need for freedom of subjective choice in decision-making, in the absence of time restrictions, which can complicate their work adaptation given the lack of tolerance among others and the absence of a differentiated individual-personal approach among managers.

Unlike other types of personalities, their individualism is only aggravated by opposition from the environment, which is manifested by increased signs of maladaptation and, consequently, an increase in the peak on the 8th scale.

This profile is typical for individuals who are soft, impressionable, touchy, vulnerable, but at the same time with pronounced individualism in the choice of friends and areas of interest, quickly moving away from negative emotions.

A combination of increases on scales 8, 5 and 1 indicates the presence of problems of difficult sexual/gender-role adaptation.

The combination of a simultaneous increase on scales 2 and 9 indicates, taking into account the age of the subject, a problem of emotional immaturity: this configuration is much more typical for adolescents.

A high value on scale 5 reflects the presence of a deviation from typical female role behavior and the complication of sexual interpersonal adaptation: the subject, to a certain extent, is characterized by “male-type” behavior, she exhibits traits of masculinity, independence, a desire for emancipation, and independence in decision making.

The combination of an increase on scales 5 and 8 may indicate some extravagance and unusual sexual behavior of the subject, but exact conclusion It is impossible to make any statements about the tendency to perversion based on SMIL data.

In combination with general immaturity, an increase on scale 5 should be interpreted according to the adolescent type: in this case, it shows undifferentiated gender-role behavior and softness, unformed character.

A slight increase on scale 3 in combination with a high value on scale 9 and a significant increase on scale 8 indicates demonstrativeness as a way of self-affirmation, which is also behavior characteristic of a teenager rather than an adult.
At the same time, the third scale partially compensates for the isolation and introversion formed by scales 8 and 0, allowing the subject in certain situations to get used to the required roles and “temporarily not be herself.”

An increase on scale 2 indicates that the subject has a strong affiliative need, i.e. the need for understanding, love, a friendly attitude towards oneself, as well as a high level of awareness of existing problems through the prism of dissatisfaction and a pessimistic assessment of one’s prospects. But this awareness is repressed and compensated by the 9th scale.
General conclusion and recommendations

The main characteristic of the subject is emotional and mental immaturity. And correction should be aimed, first of all, at eliminating it. The study of child-parent relationships with a psychologist or psychotherapist is shown, aimed at eliminating infantile traits and bringing psychological age into line with the passport age.

The second area in which it makes sense to work is the correction of anxiety. Here, it will probably be necessary to replace the compensation mechanism with one that will make it possible to recognize the problem, measures to actually increase self-esteem through internal self-acceptance, and not through external demonstrative manifestations.

The bottom line is that the profile characteristics are determined by the eighth scale. For persons with an elevated 8th scale and good intelligence, the method of correcting insufficiently adaptive forms of behavior is not simple.

Gifted, creatively oriented, but difficult in character, non-conforming individuals need to create a social niche in which the implementation of a differentiated approach would be possible and there would be no “formalization”. For others, with delinquent tendencies, e.g. prone to illegal acts, a timely reorientation of interests is necessary while maintaining a positive personal status, which is a very difficult social task: individuals of this type “settle” only in an environment where their individuality is taken into account.

This is important for every person, but for this type of personality this factor takes on special significance.

The fate of a type “8” personality is most likely simply unpredictable and least of all depends on how the person himself plans to plan it. The individuality of a person of this type is especially unique. If other individual personality patterns have common features within the framework of their type of reaction, implying somewhat similar destinies, then this type of personality is each time unique in its own way, and therefore they are all not only different from others, but also have little in common with each other.

Is it just that they are the most difficult to adapt to life, they are distinguished by the originality of their motivation and sphere of interests, which is largely away from everyday problems. They are sometimes mistakenly assessed as stress-resistant, and this is a serious misconception. It’s just that what worries most other people occupies an insignificant place in their hierarchy of values.

If their true values ​​are affected, then extremely low stress resistance is revealed and maladjustment proceeds in the most irrational way. Therefore, type “8” individuals, deprived of the opportunity to fit into the social niche offered to them by circumstances, may turn out to be misunderstood, outcasts, eccentrics, who, without being taken seriously, are feared and avoided.

Those of them who have extraordinary abilities evoke respect and admiration, bordering on mystical worship, since for an ordinary person they still remain a mystery. But their loyalty to their individuality and special life purpose serves as the basis for the formation of messianic attitudes. In their personal lives they can be patiently adored, despite the fact that family life(in its traditional sense) are completely unsuitable.

One of the very important advantages of the methodology is the presence in its structure of rating scales, or, as they are more often called, reliability scales, which determine the reliability of the data obtained and the attitude of the subjects regarding the examination procedure. This is the “lie” scale – L, the “reliability” scale – F and the “correction” scale – K. In addition, there is a scale designated question mark- “?”. Scale “?” records the number of statements to which the subject could not give a definite answer; in this case, the scale indicator “?” significant if it exceeds 26 raw points, because the number 26 corresponds to the number of statements removed from the calculation, accompanied in the booklet by the remark - “The number of this statement should be circled.” If the scale indicator is “?” above 70 raw points, the test data is unreliable. The total figure is within 36-40 s.b. acceptable; results from 41 to 60 s.b. indicate the subject's wariness.

Correct presentation of the technique and a preliminary conversation between the psychologist and the subject significantly reduces mistrust and secrecy, which are reflected in the increase in insignificant answers. The “L” scale includes those statements that reveal the subject's tendency to present himself in the most favorable light possible, demonstrating very strict adherence to social norms. High scores on the “L” scale (70 T and above), i.e. more than 10 s.b., indicate a deliberate desire to embellish oneself, “to show oneself in better light”, denying the presence in one’s behavior of weaknesses inherent in any person - the ability to be angry at least sometimes or at least a little, to be lazy, to neglect diligence, strictness of manners, truthfulness, accuracy in the most minimum sizes and in the most forgivable situation. In this case, the profile appears smoothed, lowered or recessed. Most of all, high indicators of the L scale affect the underestimation of the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th scales. An increase in the L scale within the range of 60 - 69 T is often found in people of a primitive mental make-up with insufficient self-understanding and low adaptive capabilities. In individuals with a high level of education and culture, profile distortions due to an increase in the L scale are rare. A moderate increase in L - up to 60 T - is normally observed in old age as a reflection of age-related personality changes towards increased normative behavior.

Low scores on the L scale (0 – 2 s.b.) indicate the absence of a tendency to embellish one’s character. The profile is unreliable if L – 70 T is higher. Retesting is required after an additional conversation with the subject. Another scale that allows you to judge the reliability of the results obtained is the F reliability scale. High indicators on this scale may cast doubt on the reliability of the examination if the F indicators are above 70 T. The reasons may be different: excessive anxiety at the time of the examination, which affected the performance and correct understanding of statements; negligence in recording responses; the desire to slander oneself, to stun the psychologist with the uniqueness of one’s personality, to emphasize the defects of one’s character; a tendency to dramatize existing circumstances and one’s attitude towards them; an attempt to portray another, fictitious person; decreased performance due to fatigue or illness. It should also be borne in mind that a high F may be the result of the experimenter’s negligence when processing test results. Some increase in F may be the result of excessive diligence with pronounced self-criticism and frankness. In individuals who are more or less disharmonious and in a state of discomfort, F can be at the level of 65 - 75 T, which reflects emotional instability. High F, accompanied by an increase in the profile on the 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th scales, is found in individuals prone to affective reactions with low conformity. Unlike other scales, for the F scale the standard spread is 10 T higher, i.e. reaches 80 T. However, indicators above 70 T, as a rule, reflect a high level of emotional tension or are a sign of personal disintegration, which can be associated with both severe stress and neuropsychic disorders of a different nature. If the profile data, despite the high F (above 80 T), according to objective observation and the results of other methods, still reflect the real-life experiences of the subject, which is often encountered in practice, then they can be considered in the context of the entire amount of available data as worthy of serious attention information, but when statistically processing and deriving the average results of the study group, these profiles should not be included, since their statistical reliability is low.

Indicators of the K correction scale are moderately increased (55 – 60 T) with a person’s natural defensive reaction to an attempt to invade the world of his innermost experiences, i.e. with good control over emotions. A significant increase (above 65 T) indicates a lack of frankness, a desire to hide character defects and the presence of any problems and conflicts. High K indices positively correlate with the presence of defensive reactions of the repression type. A profile with a high K (66 T and above) is often accompanied by an increase in indicators on the 3rd scale and recessed 4th, 7th and 8th. Such a profile indicates that the subject did not want to openly talk about himself and demonstrates only his sociability and desire to make a pleasant impression. Due to the fact that the K scale registers intentionally hidden or unconsciously repressed psychological problems (emotional tension, antisocial tendencies and non-conformity of attitudes), a certain part of the indicator of this scale is added to the raw data of some of the scales most dependent on it: 0.5 - to 1- th scale, 0.4 - to the 4th, 0.2 - to the 9th and 1.0 K each (the entire value of K as a whole) - to the 7th and 8th scales.

Low scores on the K scale are usually observed with elevated and high F and reflect frankness and self-criticism. Reduced K is typical for people with low intelligence, but can also be associated with a decrease in self-control with excessive emotional tension and personal disintegration. A good guideline for assessing the reliability of the profile and identifying the subject’s attitude towards the testing procedure, in addition to the specified criteria, is the “F – K” factor, i.e. the difference between the raw results of these scales. On average, its value in harmonious individuals ranges from +6 to -6. If the difference F - K = +7... +11, then during the examination the subject has a vaguely expressed tendency to emphasize existing problems, to dramatize his difficulties, to aggravate his state. If F – K = from -7 to -11, then a negative attitude towards testing, closedness, and lack of frankness is revealed. A value (F -K) exceeding + – 11 in one direction or another casts doubt on the reliability of the data obtained, which at least should be considered through the prism of the identified installation.


(Standardized multifactorial method of personality research - SMIL)

Minnesota Multifactor Personality Inventory
(The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - MMPI )


  • AVERAGE NORMATIVE DATA ON THE MAIN SCALES OF THE SMIL TEST / MMPI TEST
  • ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE SMIL TEST / MMPI TEST

    TREATMENT
    MMPI TEST (SMIL)

    The calculation of scores, called raw scores, for each key (i.e. scale) must be done very carefully, repeating the calculation up to two matching results. Incorrect scoring will cause all subsequent interpretations to be distorted or completely incorrect.


    “I don’t know” responses make up the “?” scale. The “L” scale - the “Lies” scale - shows how sincere the subject was during the testing process. The “F” scale - the “reliability” scale - shows the level of reliability of the data obtained, depending on his frankness and willingness to cooperate. The “K” scale - the “correction” scale reveals the degree of distortion of the test (profile), associated both with the closeness of the subject and with the influence of the unconscious defense mechanism of “repressing” from the psyche information that is traumatic and destroys the positive image of the “I”. Depending on the indicators of the reliability scales, the profile (test) is recognized as reliable or unreliable, and its features are considered through the prism of the subject’s attitudes towards the examination procedure.

    To avoid too much influence of the displacement mechanism on the main profile (test), you should add 0,5 from the sum of raw points (s.b.) of the scale indicator “ TO» to raw points 1st scale, then add 0,4 values ​​s.b. scale " TO» to s.b. 4th scale, overall ( 1,0 ) « TO" - the entire amount s.b. scale " TO" - added to s.b. 7th and 8th scales, and finally 0,2 s.b. scale " TO» is added to s.b. 9th scales. These indicators are summed with the raw scores of the corresponding scales (1st, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th) and the final (corrected) raw scores for all scales are displayed.

    Due to the fact that the number of significant answers (crosses) on each scale is not the same and their statistical significance (price, cost) is also not equivalent, comparison of indicators on different scales is possible only by reducing the raw scores to a generalized, standardized unit. Such a unit in this technique is the walls, each of which contains 10 T-points and is equal to the standard deviation from the average standard line, which represents 50 T on the profile sheet. This is an empirically identified averaged norm. A deviation within 2 standard deviations (s) - 20T - both up, up to 70, and down, up to 30T, is conventionally defined as a spread within the normative corridor. Indicators above 70 and below 30T are regarded as a deviation from the norm.

    Keys to the MMPI test.

    Main profile scales

    "L" False
    N: 15, 30, 45, 75, 105, 135, 195, 225, 255, 285, 60, 90, 120, 150, 165.

    "F" Confidence
    B: 14, 23, 27, 31, 33, 34, 35, 40, 42, 48, 49, 50, 53, 56, 66, 85, 121, 123, 139, 146, 151, 156, 168, 184, 197, 200, 202, 205, 206, 209, 210, 211, 215, 218, 227, 245, 246, 247, 252, 256, 269, 275, 286, 291, 293.
    N: 17, 20, 54, 65, 75, 83, 112, 113, 115, 164, 169, 177, 185, 196, 199, 220, 257, 258, 272, 276.

    "K" Correction
    Q:96.
    N:30, 39, 71, 89, 124, 129, 134, 138, 142, 148, 160, 170, 171, 180, 183, 217, 234, 267, 272, 296, 316, 322, 374, 383, 397, 398, 406, 461, 502.

    "1" Overcontrol (Hypochondriasis, Hs)
    B: 23, 29, 43, 62, 72, 108, 114, 125, 161, 189, 273.
    N: 2, 3, 7, 9, 18, 51, 55, 63, 68, 103, 140, 153, 155, 163, 175, 188, 190, 192, 230, 243, 274, 281.

    “2” Pessimism (Depression, D)
    B: 5, 13, 23, 32, 41, 43, 52, 67, 86, 104, 130, 138, 142, 158, 159, 182, 189, 193, 236, 259.
    H:2, 8, 9, 18, 30, 36, 39, 46, 51, 57, 58, 64, 80, 88, 89, 95, 98, 107, 122, 131, 145, 152, 153, 154, 155, 160, 178, 191, 207, 208, 238, 241242, 248, 263, 270, 271, 272, 285, 296.

    “3” Emotional lability (Hysteria, Hy)
    B: 10, 23, 32, 43, 44, 47, 76, 114, 179, 186, 189, 238
    N:2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 26, 30, 51, 55, 71, 89, 93, 103, 107, 109, 124, 128, 129, 136, 137, 141, 147, 153, 160, 162, 163, 170, 172, 174, 175, 180, 188, 190, 192, 201, 213, 230, 234, 243, 265, 267, 274, 279, 289, 292.

    "4" Impulsivity (Impulsivity, Pd)
    B:16, 21, 24, 32, 33, 35, 36, 42, 61, 67, 84, 94, 102, 106, 110, 118, 127, 215, 216, 224, 239, 244, 245, 284
    N: 8, 20, 37, 82, 91, 96, 107, 134, 137, 141, 155, 170, 171, 173, 180, 183, 201, 231, 235, 237, 248, 267, 287, 289, 294, 296.

    “5-F” Femininity (for women) (Masculinity/Femininity, Mf)
    B: 4, 25, 70, 74, 77, 78, 87, 92, 126, 132, 133, 134, 140, 149, 187, 203, 204, 217, 226, 239, 261, 278, 282, 295, 299
    N: 1, 19, 26, 69, 79, 80, 81, 89, 99, 112, 115, 116, 117, 120, 144, 176, 179, 198, 213, 219, 221, 223, 229, 231, 249, 254, 260, 262, 264, 280, 283, 297, 300

    “5-M” Femininity (for men) (Masculinity/Femininity)
    B:4, 25, 69, 70, 74, 77, 78, 87, 92, 126, 132, 134, 140, 149, 179, 187, 203, 204, 217, 226, 231, 239, 261, 278, 282, 295, 297, 299.
    N:1, 19, 26, 28, 79, 80, 81, 89, 99, 112, 115, 116, 117, 120, 133, 144, 176, 198, 213, 214, 219, 221, 223, 229, 249, 254, 260, 262, 264, 280, 283, 300

    "6" Rigidity (Rigidity, Pa)
    B:15, 16, 22, 24, 27, 35, 110, 121, 123, 127, 151, 157, 158, 202, 275, 284, 291, 293, 299, 305, 317, 338, 341, 364, 365.
    N: 93, 107, 109, 111, 117, 124, 268, 281, 294, 313, 316, 319, 327, 347, 348.

    “7” Anxiety (Psychasthenia, Pt)
    B:10, 15, 22, 32, 41, 67, 76, 86, 94, 102, 106, 142, 159, 182, 189, 217, 238, 266, 301, 304, 305, 317, 321, 336, 337, 340, 342, 343, 344, 346, 349, 351, 352, 356, 357, 359, 360, 361.
    N:3, 8, 36, 122, 152, 164, 178, 329, 353.

    “8” Individualism (Schizoidity, Sc)
    B: 15, 16, 21, 22, 24, 32, 33, 35, 38, 40, 41, 47, 52, 76, 97, 104, 121, 156, 157, 159, 168, 179, 182, 194, 202, 210, 212, 238, 241, 251, 259, 266, 273, 282, 291, 297, 301, 303, 305, 307, 312, 320, 324, 325, 332, 334, 335, 339, 341 , 345, 349, 350, 352, 354, 355, 356, 360, 363, 364.
    N: 8, 17, 20, 37, 65, 103, 119, 177, 178, 187, 192, 196, 220, 276, 281, 306, 309, 322, 330.

    “9” Optimism (Hypomania, Ma)
    B: 11, 13, 21, 22, 59, 64, 73, 97, 100, 109, 127, 134, 145, 156, 157, 167, 181, 194, 212, 222, 226, 228, 232, 233, 238, 240, 250, 251, 263, 266, 268, 271, 277, 279, 298.
    N:101, 105, 111, 119, 130, 148, 166, 171, 180, 267, 289.

    “0” Introversion (Introversion, Si)
    B: 32, 67, 82, 111, 117, 124, 138, 147, 171, 172, 180, 201, 236, 267, 278, 292, 304, 316, 321, 332, 336, 342, 357, 377, 383, 398, 401, 427, 436, 455, 473, 467, 549, 564.
    N: 25, 33, 57, 91, 99, 119, 126, 143, 193, 208, 229, 231, 254, 262, 281, 296, 309, 353, 359, 371, 391, 400, 415, 440, 446, 449, 450, 451, 462, 469, 479, 481, 482, 501, 521, 547.

    ATTENTION


    Question numbers that SHOULD NOT be taken into account when processing the test:
    14, 33, 48, 63, 66, 69, 121, 123, 133, 151, 168, 182, 184, 197, 200, 205, 266, 275, 293, 334, 349, 350, 462, 464, 474, 542, 551

    T-scores for any raw score on each specific scale are calculated using the formula:

    , Where

    50 is the “norm” line, from which indicators are counted both upward (increase) and downward (decrease);
    X- this is the final raw result obtained on a certain scale;
    M- the median, empirically identified in the process of restandardizing the methodology, that is, the average standard indicator on this scale;
    & - sigma, the value of the standard deviation from the norm, discovered during the standardization process.

    Average normative data on the main SMIL scales

    Scale names

    Men n=580

    Women n=280

    Credibility

    Correction

    Overcontrol

    Pessimism

    Emotion lability

    Impulsiveness

    Femininity

    Rigidity

    Anxiety

    Individualism

    Optimistic

    Introversion


    Analysis of the results of the SMIL TEST / MMPI TEST

    IN narrow corridor norms - within 46-55 T - profile fluctuations are difficult to interpret, since they do not reveal sufficiently pronounced individual personality properties and are characteristic of a completely balanced personality (if the reliability scales do not show a pronounced attitude towards lying - a high “L” scale - or lack of frankness - high K scale).

    Increases ranging from 56-66 T reveal those leading trends that determine the characterological characteristics of the individual. Higher indicators of different basic scales (67-75 T) highlight those accentuated features that at times complicate a person’s socio-psychological adaptation.

    Indicators above 75 T indicate impaired adaptation and a deviation of the individual’s state from normal. These may be psychopathic character traits, a state of stress caused by an extreme situation, neurotic disorders and, finally, psychopathology, the presence of which can only be judged by a pathopsychologist or psychiatrist based on the totality of data from psychodiagnostic, experimental psychological and clinical research. Complex life situation traumatic events, physical illness - all this can cause a state of temporary maladjustment.

    If the majority (at least 7) ​​of the profile scales are significantly elevated and there are no scales whose indicators are below 55 T (except, in extreme cases, one), then such a profile is called “floating”. The criteria for identifying signs of a floating profile are as follows: F is between 65 and 90 T, each of the scales - 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 - is above 70, the rest are 56 T and above. This profile indicates severe stress and personality maladjustment.

    With a pronounced tendency to avoid frankness and to bring answers as close as possible to the norm, a recessed profile is obtained. In the recessed profile, the indicators of most scales are below 45 T, and a number of others are no higher than 50 T. This profile is most often the result of a negative attitude towards the testing procedure and is accompanied by high indicators of the L and K reliability scales with low F.

    With a clear exaggeration of the severity of existing problems and one’s condition, a highly positioned jagged profile is formed. If a subject, trying to understand how the technique works and influence the results, answers “wrong” to almost all statements, then the profile turns out flat, (smoothed) on the 4th, 6th and 8th scales, but inflated on 1 1st and 3rd scales. Conversely, if the majority of statements are answered “true,” then a profile with high peaks on the F, 6, and 8 scales is obtained.

    Confidence scale (L). Includes those statements that reveal a tendency to present oneself in a more favorable light, to demonstrate very strict adherence to rules. High scores on this scale (70 T and above) indicate a deliberate desire to embellish oneself, denying the presence in one’s behavior of weaknesses inherent in any person - the ability to be angry at least sometimes or at least a little, to be lazy, to neglect diligence, strictness of manners, truthfulness, accuracy in the most minimal sizes and in the most forgivable situation. In this case, the profile appears smoothed, lowered or recessed.

    Most of all, high indicators of the L scale affect the underestimation of the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th scales. An increase in L to 60 T is normally observed in old age as a reflection of age-related personality changes towards increased normative behavior.

    Low scores on the L scale (0 - 2 s.b.) indicate the absence of a tendency to embellish one’s character. The test (profile) is unreliable if L is 70 T and higher. In this case, retesting is required.

    Reliability scale (F).

    High scores (70 T and above) indicate excessive self-criticism. Tendencies to exaggerate existing problems, the desire to emphasize defects of one’s character. Signs of lack of harmony and psychological comfort. Signs of defensive reactions: perhaps an unconscious attempt to portray another (fictitious) person, rather than one’s own personal characteristics. Elevated values ​​on this scale may be a consequence of excessive anxiety during examination procedures.

    High scores on this scale may cast doubt on the reliability of the examination if the F scores are above 80 T (for this scale, the upper limit of the norm is 10 T higher than for other scales).

    The reasons may be different: excessive anxiety at the time of the examination, which affected the performance and correct understanding of statements; negligence in recording responses; the desire to slander oneself, to stun the psychologist with the uniqueness of one’s personality, to emphasize the defects of one’s character; a tendency to dramatize existing circumstances and one’s attitude towards them; an attempt to portray another, fictitious person; decreased performance due to fatigue or illness.

    Correction scale (K).

    The correction scale shows a tendency to distort the examination results, which is associated with excessive caution, high self-control during the examination and (or) the desire to show oneself “in the best light.” Unconscious control of behavior is also possible.

    Indicators of the K correction scale are moderately increased (55 - 60 T) with a person’s natural defensive reaction to an attempt to invade the world of his innermost experiences, i.e. with good control over emotions. A significant increase (above 65 T) indicates a lack of frankness, a desire to hide character defects and the presence of any problems and conflicts. High K indices positively correlate with the presence of defensive reactions of the repression type.

    Low scores on the K scale are usually observed with elevated and high F and reflect frankness and self-criticism.

    A good guideline for assessing the reliability of the profile and identifying the subject’s attitude towards the testing procedure, in addition to the specified criteria, is the “F-K” factor, i.e. the difference between the raw results of these scales. On average, its value in harmonious individuals ranges from +6 to -6. If difference F-K= +7... +11, then during the examination the subject has a vaguely expressed attitude towards emphasizing existing problems, towards dramatizing his difficulties.

    If F-K = from -7 to -11, then a negative attitude towards testing, closedness, and lack of frankness is revealed. The value (F-K) in raw points exceeding ± 11 in one direction or another casts doubt on the reliability of the data obtained, which at least should be considered through the prism of the identified installation

  • 1. Overcontrol scale, hypochondriasis (Hs).

    Tendency to social passivity and subordination. Slow adaptation to professional conditions activities, climatic factors and a new team. Poor tolerance to change of environment. Poor self-control during interpersonal conflicts.

    The main problem of this type of personality is the suppression of spontaneity (i.e., ease, spontaneity of reactions), inhibition of active self-realization, control of aggressiveness, hypersocial orientation of interests, orientation to rules, instructions, directions; inertia in decision making, over-responsibility, combined with a tendency to avoid serious responsibility for fear of failure.

    The style of thinking is inert, dogmatic, relying on existing common points of view, rules and instructions. This cognitive style is devoid of freedom, independence and looseness. The basis for knowledge of the surrounding world for people of this type are ready-made generally accepted clichés.

    In interpersonal relationships - high demands on both oneself and others in terms of compliance with the moral criteria of society. They are characterized by stinginess in emotional manifestations, caution, and prudence. Emotional sphere characterized by a contradictory clash of restraint and irritability.

    Increased data on the 1st scale indicates an individual’s propensity for professional activities in which such qualities as diligence, the ability to obey the established order and follow certain instructions and directives, and the ability to restrain are appropriate and necessary. inherent in man weaknesses, resist temptations. This is an office type of employee, a conscientious official, this is also a security service, labor protection, personnel service in the army. Such features are also found among clergy, missionary helpers (as opposed to missionary leaders or fans), and also as one of the features in the personality structure of a teacher, formed under the influence of social orders over many previous decades in our country.

    With excessive emotional tension (scale indicator above 75 T), difficult adaptation is manifested by an increased focus on deviations from the norm, both in terms of interpersonal relationships, where people in this circle are irritated by the irresponsibility and insufficient morality of the actions of others in their opinion, and in the sphere of well-being, where excessive attention to the functions of one’s own body can develop into hypochondriasis. At the same time, not only hypochondriasis is manifested, but also such personal traits as dogmatism, hypocrisy are strengthened, thinking becomes more inert, caution, didacticism, and edifying tone are more pronounced in interpersonal contacts.

    In general, in people of this type, in all their life’s vicissitudes, a fateful thread can be seen, manifested by dissatisfaction with the imperfections of people and the moral laws that guide them, as well as their own duality: the soul cannot simultaneously realize two polar needs: 1st - to remain in within the framework of hypersocial and moral demands placed on oneself and others, 2nd - to achieve success and respect (which is a universal human need). The most successful social role is that of a zealous enforcer of laws, a keeper of traditions, a guardian of morality, protecting others from risky actions.

  • 2. Scale of pessimism, depression (D).

    Aimed at identifying depressive conditions. It speaks of a tendency towards low mood, lack of self-confidence, anxiety, increased feelings of guilt, weakened volitional control, increased sensitivity and resentment. People of this type have low resistance to mental and physical stress, inability to quickly take independent decisions. If you fail, there is a tendency to fall into despair. It is characteristic of a weak type of higher nervous activity.

    As a leading peak in a profile that does not go beyond the norm, it reveals the predominance of a passive personal position. The leading motivational focus is avoiding failure. Individuals of this type are characterized by the following features: a high level of awareness of existing problems through the prism of dissatisfaction and a pessimistic assessment of their prospects; a tendency to think, inertia in decision making, a pronounced depth of experience, an analytical mind, skepticism, self-criticism, some lack of confidence in oneself and one’s capabilities.

    Individuals whose profiles are accentuated on the 2nd scale (“melancholic” according to Gannushkin, inhibited according to Leonhard and Lichko, “sad people” according to Dikaya, “pessimistic” according to the typology of the author of the manual) are capable of refusing to realize immediate needs for the sake of distant plans. The style of interpersonal behavior is manifested by features of dependence, which are most noticeable in contacts with an authoritative person and with the object of affection; at the same time, distance and a painfully acute sense of self-esteem can be heard at the same time (especially when combining peaks on the 2nd and 4th profile scales).

    For these people, the need for understanding, love, and a friendly attitude towards oneself is one of the leading needs that is never fully satisfied. Under stress, there is a tendency to stop reactions, i.e. to blocking activity, or driven behavior, subordination to the leading personality.

    The defense mechanism is refusal of self-realization and strengthening of consciousness control. In professional terms, there is a need for such types of activities that are closer to the “office” style of work in the humanitarian or general theoretical (with sufficiently high intelligence) direction, where a serious, thoughtful attitude to the work performed is especially important.

    A peak on the 2nd scale, reaching a level of 70 -75 T, reveals accentuation of the hypothymic (hyposthenic) type. High scores on the 2nd scale may be associated with a situation of severe disappointment after an experienced failure or in connection with a disease that disrupts the normal course of life and long-term plans of a person. Therefore, a rise in the profile on the 2nd scale above 70 T reveals in the subject not only a low mood due to negative experiences, but also certain personal characteristics: a tendency to acutely experience failures, to worry, to an increased sense of guilt with a self-critical attitude towards one’s shortcomings, with self-doubt. An increase in the 2nd reveals conscious self-control, when unfulfilled intentions - due to external circumstances or internal reasons - are reflected in a low mood as a result of a deficit or loss. At the same time, people in this circle can show sufficient activity, following the leader, as the most conforming and socially pliable group.

    People of this type are distinguished by the greatest vulnerability to life’s adversities, the desire to comprehend and “slow down” their own immediate impulses, to avoid confrontation with the cruel laws of real life due to a pessimistic assessment of their capabilities when confronting others.

    The structure of a given personality is such that the fate-realizing tendency bears the imprint of a certain passivity, and circumstances can dominate the character. Apparently, therefore, this type is characterized by fatalism, i.e. the tendency to rely on how everything “works out by itself,” “where the curve will take you,” and “how lucky you are,” rather than trying to influence fate yourself. These are passion-bearers: without realizing it themselves, they revel in the role of the victim, meekly bearing his cross. (Type “2” should be distinguished from senile passivity acquired over the years).

    By refusing to fulfill immediate egoistic needs, type “2” individuals hope to thereby solve distant problems and form a base of spiritual values. Unfulfilled needs are sublimated and manifested by general humanistic tendencies. Personal aspects of life are determined by their desire to preserve the family; persons of this circle get married, focusing on the similarity of characters or agreeing to a dependent position; show pronounced responsibility for children and react painfully to separation from loved ones. Among individuals of this type there are more monogamous people.

    If there is a social niche corresponding to their personal inclinations, they successfully realize their abilities, while showing emphasized responsibility. Even in a criminal environment, they are able to perform only the most honest and driven roles (treasurer or “on lookout”). They say about such people that they “have the fear of God in their souls”; They are more likely than others to be capable of altruistic manifestations. A simultaneous increase in the 2nd and 9th scales reflects a tendency to mood swings, a cyclothymic personality variant or cyclothymia.

  • 3. Scale of emotional lability, hysteria (Well).

    An increase in indicators on the scale reveals emotional lability, repression of complex psychological problems, social and emotional immaturity of the individual, up to hysterical manifestations (with an increase in indicators above 80 T). People of this type exhibit signs of hysterical character traits: the desire to appear more significant, better than they really are, a tendency towards egocentrism and self-pity, an expressed desire to attract the attention of others at any cost.

    An increase in profile on this scale reveals the instability of emotions and a conflicting combination of multidirectional tendencies: a high level of aspirations is combined with the need to participate in the interests of the group, selfishness - with altruistic declarations, aggressiveness - with the desire to please others.

    Persons with the leading 3rd scale are distinguished by a certain demonstrativeness, brightness of emotional manifestations with some superficiality of experiences, instability of self-esteem, which is significantly influenced by a significant environment; “childishness”, immaturity of attitudes and judgments.

    The type of perception, processing and reproduction of information is visual-figurative, sensory, artistic. Personalities of this type think in holistic images that have shape, color and emotional overtones. This is the most direct type of thinking characteristic of the early period of development; it is where a child begins to comprehend the world around him. Staying basic characteristic, emotional lability manifests itself as a leading tendency, giving the type of thinking a visual-figurative, sensual style.

    There is a pronounced ability to easily adapt to various social roles; artistic postures, facial expressions and gestures attract the attention of others, which serves as a stimulating factor that excites and flatters their vanity.

    Persons with the leading 3rd scale are attracted to types of professional activities in which the need for communication and the experience of vivid feelings is satisfied. Personalities of this type need the opportunity to demonstrate themselves; increased emotiveness, a pronounced tendency to transform, demonstrative traits, the need for involvement in general mood those around him creates favorable conditions for self-determination in the field of artistic activity, where these properties are quite appropriate, in pedagogy or in the field of social activity, where these qualities can be a good addition, provided that they have a sufficiently high intelligence and a mature civic platform.

    These personal characteristics can also find application in working conditions in the service sector, in amateur performances, as well as as a variant of a professional manager in production, in administrative work or in the officer personnel service, since these people are able to both obey and command, easily passing from one social role to another.

    Signs of emotional immaturity are revealed that are more characteristic of a female type of behavior with a certain infantilism, affectation, and dependent tendencies. Despite their pronounced egocentrism and tendency to feel sorry for themselves, these individuals strive to level out the conflict and give great importance marital status.

    Individuals with a high 3rd scale (above 75 T) are characterized by increased nervousness, tearfulness, excessive dramatization of ongoing events, and a tendency to narrow consciousness, even to the point of fainting. The combination of high indicators on the 3rd and 4th scales significantly enhances the characteristics of the 3rd, increasing the likelihood of hysterical type behavioral reactions with a tendency to “self-inflation” in conflict situations and with a strong desire for emotional involvement.

    These people burn themselves out with their conflicting emotions, seeking to succeed mainly through the help of others, but attributing credit only to themselves. They fill their family life and personal relationships with drama, problems with children become more complicated as they grow and mature, and at work, excess emotions can manifest themselves negatively. Thanks to their pronounced flexibility and sensitivity to the moods of their environment, as well as due to their noticeable vanity, they move up the social ladder in leaps and bounds, reacting painfully to failures and boastfully celebrating the slightest successes.

    Both the character itself and the fate of such people are diverse, contradictory for an unambiguous assessment, motley with events, contacts and hobbies. Their social role is to stir things up, disturb the peace, energetically call somewhere, but not really lead to any specific goal. In the social arena, more often they are “those who follow the leader,” companions and heralds of the “hero.” Traits of the 3rd scale can accompany the portrait of a public leader as an addition to other characteristics. In politics, these are eloquent populists who easily change their line of behavior out of vanity and their own instability.

    Cardiovascular problems and general health concerns take up a lot of their attention and time. The problem of “to be or to seem” is solved primarily in favor of the latter by a person of this type.

    Low scores on the 3rd scale (below 50 T) indicate greater emotional stability, reduced sensitivity to environmental influences with a relatively low responsiveness to problems of the social microclimate.

  • 4. Impulsivity, psychopathy scale (Pd).

    As a leader in a profile located within the normative range, it reveals an active personal position, high search activity, in the structure of motivational orientation - the predominance of achievement motivation, confidence and speed in decision making.

    The motive for achieving success here is closely related to the will to realize strong desires, which are not always subject to the control of reason. The less mature the personality before us, the less the norms of behavior instilled in upbringing dominate a person, the greater the risk of spontaneous activity aimed at realizing momentary impulses, contrary to common sense and the interests of the surrounding society.

    People in this circle are characterized by impatience, a penchant for risk, an unstable, often inflated level of aspirations, the level of which has a pronounced dependence on momentary motives and external influences, on success and failure.

    Behavior is relaxed, spontaneity in the manifestation of feelings, in speech production and in manners. Statements and actions often precede planned and consistent thoughtfulness of actions. The tendency to resist external pressure, the tendency to rely mainly on one’s own opinion, and even more on momentary impulses. A noticeably expressed desire to follow one’s own primitive desires, self-indulgence. In personally significant situations, quickly fading outbreaks of conflict may appear.

    Interest in activities with pronounced activity (from a young age - physical, over the years - social or antisocial), love for high speeds, and in connection with this - for moving equipment, the desire to choose a job that allows one to avoid subordination, as well as to find use for dominant traits character. Dominance in this context does not necessarily mean leadership ability. Here we are talking mainly about low subordination and emphasized independence, in contrast to leadership, which involves a penchant for organizational functions, the ability to infect others with your ideas and lead them, integrating their actions in accordance with your plans.

    Persons of this type do not tolerate monotony well, monotony makes them drowsy, and the stereotypical type of activity makes them bored. The mechanism of restraining negative emotions under the strong influence of “rationality,” that is, under the control of consciousness, the role of which is enhanced in socially significant situations, leads in people of this circle to psychosomatic disorders, mainly associated with the cardiovascular activity of the body. This type of response is usually reflected in the profile by a rise on the 2nd scale with a high 4th.

    A profile in which the 4th and 6th scales are moderately elevated is characteristic of a personality of a rational realistic type, which is hampered in the implementation of intentions by increased impulsiveness and nonconformism. If the peak on the 4th scale is combined with an increased 3rd, then this is rather an irrational realistic person whose pragmatism is higher than with an isolated peak on the 3rd scale, but low learning experience reduces the effectiveness of the efforts expended.

    High scores on the 4th scale (above 70T) reveal an excitable variant of accentuation, characterized by increased impulsivity. The properties listed above, revealed by an elevated 4th scale in a normal profile, are grotesquely sharpened here and are manifested by difficult self-control. Against the background of good intelligence, such individuals have the ability to take an unconventional approach to solving problems, to moments of creative insight, especially when a person is not dominated by normative dogmas and various kinds of restrictions. Insufficient reliance on experience is compensated by pronounced intuitiveness and speed of reactions.

    At the same time, a primitive, needy, immature personality with unjustifiably high ambitions, an individual who has nothing interesting in his soul, a lazy person, unable (or unwilling) to comprehend at least the basics of a general education course, trying to attract the attention of others through negative manifestations, violates the generally accepted style of behavior and neglects the moral principles of his environment. And then his behavior is no longer in quotation marks, but actually looks like hooliganism.

    Two equally high peaks of scales 2 and 4 reveal an internal conflict rooted in an initially contradictory type of response, which combines multidirectional tendencies - high search activity and dynamic arousal processes (4th) and pronounced inertia and instability (2nd). Psychologically, this is manifested by the presence of a contradictory combination of a high level of aspirations with self-doubt, high activity with rapid exhaustion. Under unfavorable social conditions, such a predisposition can serve as a basis for alcoholism or drug addiction, as well as for the development of certain psychosomatic disorders.

    This profile pattern to a certain extent reflects the traits of “type A” described by Jenkinson, who believes that this emotional-personal pattern represents the basis for the development of cardiovascular failure and a predisposition for early myocardial infarction.

    The combination of the 4th scale with the 6th at high scores reveals a hot-tempered type of reaction. The height of the peaks in the range of 70-75 T reflects the accentuation of the character according to the explosive type. Higher rates are characteristic of the psychopathic personality profile of the excitable circle with a tendency to impulsive aggressive reactions. If the personal characteristics inherent in this profile and manifested by a pronounced sense of competition, leadership traits, aggressiveness and stubbornness, are directed towards socially acceptable activities (for example, sports), then the bearer of these properties can remain sufficiently adapted mainly due to the social niche that is optimal for him.

    Low scores on the 4th scale indicate a decrease in achievement motivation, a lack of spontaneity, spontaneity of behavior, good self-control, unexpressed ambition, a lack of leadership traits and a desire for independence, adherence to generally accepted norms of behavior, and conformism. In everyday life they often say about such people: “No zest.” If such a decline in the profile on the 4th scale reflects a temporary decrease in the individual’s opposition to the environment, then this may be due to the fact that this individual finds himself in a situation where his “self” is blocked. For example, a person who has just received a new assignment experiences some self-doubt (an incompetence complex) and temporarily changes the strategy of behavior aimed at achieving a goal to a “trench”, wait-and-see policy.

    In general, individuals for whom the 4th scale determines the leading tendency are capable of not only actively realizing their own destiny, but also influencing the destinies of other people. However, this property is strongly dependent on how mature and independent of the individual’s momentary mood is the individual’s goal-setting. The passionate desire for self-realization in emotionally immature and intellectually undeveloped people of this type is so dissociated with real possibilities that sometimes it leaves these individuals no other path to self-affirmation other than the antisocial one, starting with a “struggle” with their own parents and school, ending with serious illegal acts.

    With sufficiently high intelligence, such people are able to achieve more than any other typological options. These are those independent-minded individuals who are able to dare, encroaching on established dogmas and old traditions - whether in the field of knowledge or in social foundations. The “rebellious spirit” can not only be destructive (if the foreground is the desire to deny at all costs the usefulness of the existing order and the protrusion of one’s “I”), but it can also be creative if it is a mature personality, a qualified specialist, an intelligent politician.

    Type “4” is a hostage to its difficult-to-control spontaneity of feelings - be it love, art, scientific or political activity. This tendency inevitably draws a person, like an uncontrollable horse - a rider, either to the heights of triumph, or to the abyss of fall. At times, the passion of nature, beyond the control of reason, leads a person to the edge of the abyss, and he is unable to do anything to oppose this passion. It often happens that it is precisely such passionate individuals who turn out to be the creators of history, carrying the crowd along with them with the light of their own burning heart. This heroism is not always romantic; it can also be a manifestation of a person’s self-centered intoxication with his special role.

    In their personal lives, they can appear both as noble romantic knights and as addicted flighty people. They are characterized by an eternal search for novelty, they are unlikely to sin with altruism, but they also take credit for this as a manifestation of sincerity and the absence of hypocrisy. Most often they have remarriages, change jobs several times, like to drink, scold the authorities, conflict with their superiors, remain childish until old age, are not always practical, often inconsistent, but at the same time they are sometimes charming. On this “soil” a personality pattern of a genius, hero, innovator, revolutionary, or a hooligan, anti-hero, extremist can be formed with equal success, but in any case - something far from the average, philistine type of personality.

    The need to be proud of oneself and to gain the admiration of others is an urgent need for individuals of this type, otherwise emotions are transformed into anger, contempt and protest. With this accentuation, there is a tendency towards increased aggressiveness, interpersonal conflict, frequent changes in mood, interests and attachments, touchiness, and a tendency to affect, especially in situations of infringement of self-esteem. Impulsivity predominates in decision making. Often - disregard for social and corporate norms and values. But a temporary rise on this scale may be due to some situational reason.

  • 5. Masculinity-femininity scale (Mf).

    The scale measures the degree to which a patient identifies with masculine or feminine role behaviors and is interpreted differently depending on the patient's gender. Elevated scores on the 5th scale in any profile mean a deviation from typical role behavior for a given gender and a complication of sexual interpersonal adaptation. Otherwise, the interpretation is polar, depending on whether the profile is female or male to be deciphered.

    The raw indicators of the 5th scale in the male version of the profile sheet are distributed in the same way as on other scales - from bottom to top (from 0 to 50 T), while on the female profile sheet they start from the top, going down to the maximum values.

    In the profile of men, an increase on the 5th scale is characterized by the presence of female character traits: sensitivity, vulnerability, the ability to subtly sense the nuances of interpersonal relationships, humanistic orientation of interests, passivity of the personal position (if other scales do not contradict this), humanistic orientation of interests, sentimentality, sophistication of taste , artistic and aesthetic orientation, the need for friendly harmonious relationships. This is an irrational, unrealistic personality, characterized by emotional warmth and infantilism (the same for women with a recessed 5th scale).

    In interpersonal relationships, a tendency to smooth out conflicts and restrain aggressive or antisocial tendencies is revealed even in those profiles where an elevated 5th scale is combined with equally elevated scales of the 4th, 6th or 9th.

    The elevated 5th scale in the normative profile of adolescents and young men is found quite often, reflecting only undifferentiated gender-role behavior and softness, unformed character, which makes them malleable material in the hands of an authoritarian-type leader and misleading during professional selection, when the choice is purely masculine. The young man’s profession is mainly of a hypercompensatory nature.

    With maturity, indicators of the 5th scale tend to decrease. During the aging period, violation of sexual adaptation is again reflected in an increase in the profile on the 5th scale; the same is observed in some chronic diseases accompanied by a decrease in libido, which was, in particular, noted in the study of patients with chronic tuberculosis.

    In women, high scores on the 5th scale reflect the traits of masculinity, independence, the desire for emancipation, and independence in decision-making. With a simultaneously elevated 5th and low 3rd scale, the absence of the flirtatiousness usually inherent in women, gentleness in communication, diplomacy in interpersonal contacts is revealed, and behavioral features characteristic of men are noted.

    A high 5th scale (above 70 T) is especially common among athletes involved in sports activities that are physically exhausting and affect the normal development of the body according to the female type. Features of the gender role behavior of women with a high (70 T and above) 5th scale, together with an even higher 4th, acquire the features men's style- with pronounced sexual preoccupation, a pragmatic attitude towards contacts based on purely physiological attraction, with a tendency to frequently change sexual partners, with a lack of inclination towards deep, emotional attachment, and constancy.

    Low scores on the 5th scale (below 50T) in a woman’s profile reflect an orthodox feminine style of gender-role behavior: the desire to be taken care of and find support in a husband, gentleness, sentimentality, love for children, commitment to family interests, inexperience and modesty in matters of sex.

  • 6. Paranoia, rigidity scale (Ra).

    Tendency to a rigid (inflexible) system in the approach to solving various life problems, slow changes in mood, and gradual accumulation of affect. Specific thinking, excessive detail and pedantry. The tendency to persistently and actively propagate one’s views and values, which is the cause of frequent conflicts with others. Often - an overestimation of one's own successes and achievements, forming a perfect idea of ​​exclusivity. Tendency to rivalry, jealousy, rancor, vindictiveness, and the formation of overvalued ideas of relationships.

    Being the only peak in the profile that does not go beyond the normal range, it reveals the stability of interests, perseverance in defending one’s own opinion, the activity of the position, which increases when counteracted by external forces, practicality, sober outlook on life, the desire to rely on one’s own experience, to areas of specific knowledge , to the exact sciences. Persons with a leading 6th scale in their profile show a love of accuracy, loyalty to their principles, straightforwardness and perseverance in upholding them.

    The ingenuity and rationality of the mind is combined with its insufficient flexibility and difficulties in switching in a suddenly changing situation. People in this circle are impressed by accuracy and specificity; they are irritated by amorphousness, uncertainty of goals, carelessness and carelessness of the people around them. This is a realistic, rational personality type, characterized by inflexible attitudes. It is common for people in this circle to devalue what is unattainable, as in the fable “The Fox and the Grapes,” that is, if what is desired is unattainable, then its value in the eyes of the individual decreases sharply.

    To a certain extent, they give the impression of being stress-resistant. However, at the same time, there is a gradual accumulation of potential activity, which later manifests itself in an explosion of affect and an aggressive coloring of activity, when a person gives vent to his anger, showing it in one form or another. Often people of this type attribute to others the distrust and hostility that is inherent in themselves, and are punished for this.

    In interpersonal contacts, individuals with a high level of the 6th scale exhibit a pronounced sense of rivalry, competitiveness, and a desire to defend a prestigious role. High emotional involvement with the dominant idea, the ability to “infect” others with one’s passion and a pronounced tendency to plan actions are the foundation for the formation of leadership traits, especially with good intelligence and high professionalism.

    Personalities of this type are often found among mathematicians, economists, technical engineers, accountants, business executives and in other types of professional activities where accuracy, calculation, and a systematic approach are especially required. A pronounced sense of competition and endurance to stress contributes to the success of such people in the sports field. Often in artist profiles there is a high peak on the 6th scale. And when among them you meet people with a high profile, in which the 6th and 8th scales are above 90T, and the 2nd scale is “recessed” (i.e. below 50T), then, looking at their peculiar and uncontrollable any correction in the style of one’s entire life, one involuntarily comes to the assumption that art for people of this type is the protective niche that saves them from madness. They are willful, unpredictable and persistent in their creative self-affirmation; periodically coming into conflict with their close circle and with official circles, they are doomed to a difficult fate. This is illustrated by the biographies of Rodin, Cezanne, Vangogh, Michel Angelo Buonarotti.

    Personal disharmony is characterized by a pronounced preoccupation with a dominant idea, which, as a rule, concerns a conflicting interpersonal situation. Pathological jealousy is most often found in people whose 6th scale scores are above 80 T. Also, a temporary rise on the 6th scale often appears in the profile of people in a pre-divorce situation.

    The fate of individuals with a decisive role of the 6th scale in their profile is always difficult. These are people who, as it were, “cause fire upon themselves.” Biased and not indifferent to the phenomena of life around them, they stubbornly defend their opinion as the only correct one. Obsessed with this or that idea, they are able to overcome many obstacles to its implementation. They contrast the turmoil and confusion of the world around them with their subjective idea of ​​organization and order. This is exactly the type of personality when the systematic implementation of plans proves that, despite the opposition of the environment, a person can be the creator of his own destiny. If circumstances turn out to be stronger, then individuals of this type do not compromise and different ways show opposition or hostility.

    Among them there are often militant fighters for the truth - as they imagine it, and, no matter how far it may be from the truth, they are capable of taking harmful actions (both for others and for themselves), when the losses may be disproportionate greater than the idea being defended is worth. Deprived of flexibility and agility, type “6” individuals easily make enemies for themselves, but if there are no enemies, then they are able to invent them and fight them, non-existent ones, since they do not trust anyone and are easily inflamed with hostility.

    Jealous in love, they are also jealous of others' success, which serves as the basis for the formation of a strong spirit of competition. Without forgiving offenses, people of this type can realize their revenge a long time later and in a very cruel way.

    Their aggressive reaction is always excessive in relation to the cause of the conflict. Let's say you insulted a person by calling him a fool. An individual of type “2” will say: “It’s sad, but this is probably true.”; type “3” will take you to a corner and whisper: “Quiet down, please: there’s absolutely no point in letting others know about this”; type “4” will reflect the blow with an instant reaction: “You are a fool!”; type “5” will babble sadly: “Well, why is it so rude, you could affectionately say - a fool,” and type “6” will become furious and come at you with his fists: “Oh, I’m a fool?!! So I’ll kill you!”

    Personalities of this type, with good professional experience, prove themselves to be the most effective organizers, for the time being they give the impression of being stress-resistant, and only in a situation that affects their power-hungry traits can they become maladapted, showing externally blaming reactions, hot temper and aggressiveness.

    In marriage they have conflicts, but at the same time they show thriftiness and devotion to the family. At work they show reformist zeal, accuracy and practicality, strive to command others and conflict with their superiors. In the sphere of public activity - whistleblowers of corruption, truth-seekers, organizers of opposition movements. Personalities of this type have left their mark in history as adherents of church dogmas (religious fans, representatives of the Jesuit Order), as reformer politicians or famous military leaders (for example, Napoleon).

    Profiles with a low 6th scale should be especially wary. It should be emphasized that indicators on the 6th scale below 50 T are implausible. If a high 6th is evidence of hostility, a moderately elevated level is evidence of resentment, and being at the average normative level is a sign of peacefulness, then low scores reflect an excessive tendency to emphasize one’s peacemaking tendencies, which is most often found with a hypercompensatory attitude in aggressive individuals.

  • 7. Scale of psychasthenia, anxiety (Pt).

    People of this type are characterized by excessive anxiety for any reason, indecisiveness and timidity in making decisions, and constant doubts about the correctness of the choice of decision and the goals set. They are characterized by a tendency to carefully double-check their actions and work done, an increased sense of guilt for the slightest failures and mistakes, suspiciousness, self-doubt, a mandatory focus on the opinion of the team (group), and adherence to generally accepted norms. They are prone to altruistic manifestations, acting at the maximum level of their capabilities, only to earn approval from others.

    An increase in the profile on the 7th scale reveals the predominance of a passive-passive position, lack of self-confidence and the stability of the situation, high sensitivity and susceptibility to environmental influences, increased sensitivity to danger. The prevailing motivation is to avoid failure and depend on the opinion of the majority.

    The leading needs are getting rid of fears and uncertainty, avoiding confrontation. They need spiritual consonance (consonance) with others. Characteristically, people of this type are distinguished by a developed sense of responsibility, conscientiousness, commitment, modesty, increased anxiety regarding minor everyday problems, and concern for the fate of loved ones. They are characterized by empathy, i.e. a feeling of compassion and empathy, increased nuance of feelings, pronounced dependence on the object of affection and any strong personality.

    There is pronounced sensitivity, a tendency to doubt, excessive self-criticism, low self-esteem, contrasting with an inflated ideal “I”. Reduced stress tolerance threshold. In a situation of stress - blocking or driven activity following the majority or leading personality.

    When choosing a profession, focus on the sphere of humanistic interests: literature, medicine, biology, history, as well as on the performing style of work outside of extensive contacts and with a fairly stable stereotype of activity, where the need to avoid stress is satisfied. Monotony is easily tolerated.

    The 7th scale reveals increased anxiety, and with indicators above 70 T, it is no longer a character trait that is determined, but a state. Persons in this circle are characterized by self-doubt, indecision, and a tendency to carefully recheck their actions and work done; very obligatory and responsible, they are distinguished by a dependent position, orientation towards the opinion of the group, a highly developed sense of duty and adherence to generally accepted norms, a tendency towards altruistic manifestations, conformity, a tendency to react with an increased sense of guilt and self-flagellation to the slightest failures and mistakes. Trying at all costs to avoid conflict, which they experience extremely painfully, psychasthenics act at the maximum level of their capabilities in order to earn the approval of others, and most importantly - what is even more difficult - their own approval.

    With an excessively self-critical attitude towards themselves, such persons are characterized by a large gap between the real and ideal “I”, i.e. there is a striving for an unattainable ideal. In this regard, they are constantly in a state of tension and dissatisfaction, manifested in obsessions, excessive restrictive actions, and rituals necessary for self-soothing.

    The state of maladjustment, reflected in the profile by an increase in the 7th scale, is characterized by sleep disturbances, obsessive fears, feelings of confusion, anxiety, and a feeling of impending disaster. The combination of high scores on the 7th and 3rd scales is typical for fixed fears (fear of riding in public transport, fear of moving away from home, fear of getting an incurable disease, fear of public speaking, etc.)

    The combination of a high 7th with a 6th may indicate a painful fixation on one’s ugliness or any external defects - real or imaginary. The combination of 7 and 8 (above 80 T-scores) reveals the mechanism of intellectual processing and restrictive behavior aimed at avoiding failure and manifested by the phenomena of obsession (obsessive actions, thoughts, rituals, fears). This reveals the problem of low self-esteem, a sense of one’s own imperfection, an increased sense of guilt, self-abasement, and an inferiority complex.

    The fate-determining tendency in the structure of the type “7” personality is fear of the power of Evil, helplessness in the face of brutal cruelty. If type “2” can be attributed to people of “distressed thoughts,” then type “7” is “a person of a shocked conscience. Not relying on their own strength and human kindness, they, more than others - not so much with their minds as with their hearts - gravitate towards religion, finding support and consolation in it. At the same time, they are not at all so weak: due to their soft character and high sensitivity not only to their own, but also to the pain of others, persons of this type have great mental strength and the ability to endure (passion-bearers)... This is expressed in their responsibility, in caring for others, the ability to understand and feel sorry for those who are in trouble.

    Due to their own defenselessness in the face of pragmatic assertiveness, they show compliance and do not pretend to a leading position. Remembering that a person can be harmonious only if there is positive self-esteem, it is easy to explain the constantly increased anxiety of persons of this type with unstable and low self-esteem. However, any person has a reason to evaluate himself as a person in positive characteristics.

    The individuality of such individuals manifests itself more clearly in a situation of acceptance and support from the environment. Despite the apparent sacrifice and humility, people who are excessively fixated on their torment thus show their egocentrism, which can irritate more balanced people around them. This leaves an imprint on relationships both at work and in the family (restless and insecure employee, anxious wife, overprotective mother).

    The social role of type “7” mainly comes down to conformism, the positive aspects of which are the protection of cultural and moral values ​​accumulated by society and generally accepted forms of behavior, law-abidingness and passive resistance to aggressive tendencies of the environment.

    Low scores on the 7th scale (below 45 T in the linear profile) indicate a lack of caution in actions and scrupulousness in matters of morality, rather naked egocentrism, a reduced ability to empathize, non-conformity of attitudes, a rude and harsh manner of behavior, a cynical view of life phenomena .

  • 8. Schizoid personality scale. (Sc).

    The schizoid type of behavior is manifested by a combination of increased sensitivity with emotional coldness and alienation in interpersonal relationships. Such people are characterized by pronounced intuitiveness, the ability to subtly feel and perceive abstract images. Everyday (everyday) joys and sorrows for them, as a rule, do not evoke the proper emotional response.

    They are prone to fantasy, focused on their subjective vision of the essence of phenomena, rather than on generally accepted, established, stereotyped ideas. Sometimes they have absurd and difficult to explain actions, strange and incomprehensible ideas and statements.

    Increased in profile with normative indicators on other scales, it reveals a separate-contemplative personal position, an analytical mindset; the tendency to think prevails over feelings and effective activity.

    Such people have a predominant abstract-analytical style of perception, manifested in the ability to recreate a holistic image based on minimal information, paying special attention to subjectively significant aspects that are more related to the world of their own fantasies than to reality. With good intelligence, individuals of this type are distinguished by creative orientation, originality of statements and judgments, originality of interests and hobbies.

    There is a certain selectivity in contacts, a certain subjectivity in assessing people and phenomena in the surrounding life, independence of views, a tendency towards abstraction, i.e. to generalizations and information abstracted from specifics and everyday life.

    It is more difficult for individuals in this circle to adapt to everyday forms of life and the prosaic aspects of everyday life. Their individuality is so pronounced that it is virtually useless to predict their statements and actions by comparing them with familiar stereotypes. They have an insufficiently formed realistic platform based on everyday experience; they are more focused on their subjectivity and intuition. Due to the fact that they are more rational than emotional, since they rely more on their judgments than on feelings, and, at the same time, are divorced from the reality of the world around them, they should be classified as rational, unrealistic individuals.

    What for the majority is a critical situation is often regarded differently by persons with a high 8th scale due to the uniqueness of their hierarchy of values. The situation, which they subjectively perceive as stress, causes a state of confusion.

    They are characterized by a professional attraction to activities of a free, creative style; they strive to avoid any formal framework or restricted types of work. Persons who gravitate towards the search for novelty, who show interest in the field of psychology, psychiatry, theosophy, and scientific research are distinguished by the presence in the SMIL profile of an increased 8th scale with accompanying increases of the 7th, 2nd or 5th, if they are theorists and humanists. People who choose various kinds of romantic professions - sailors, geologists, archaeologists, travelers and other adventure lovers - are characterized by profiles in which a high 8th scale is combined with a high 4th or 9th.

    Persons of this type are characterized by an imperative need for freedom of subjective choice in decision-making, in the absence of time restrictions, which can complicate their work adaptation given the lack of tolerance among others and the absence of a differentiated individual-personal approach among managers. Unlike other types of personalities, their individualism is only aggravated by opposition from the environment, which is manifested by increased signs of maladaptation and, consequently, an increase in the peak on the 8th scale.

    A profile with leading 8th and 7th scales (above 70 T) reveals internal tension, anxiety, nervousness, a tendency to endless, often fruitless, thinking about any problems (“mental chewing gum”), isolation, a chronically existing feeling of mental discomfort , uncertainty, decreased overall productivity, guilt and inferiority complex.

    The fate of the type “8” personality is most likely simply unpredictable and least of all depends on how the person himself plans to plan it. The individuality of a person of this type is especially unique. If other individual personality patterns have common features within the framework of their type of reaction, suggesting somewhat similar destinies, then this type of personality is each time unique in its own way, and therefore they are all not only different from others, but also have little in common with each other . Is it just that they are the most difficult to adapt to life, they are distinguished by the originality of their motivation and sphere of interests, which is largely away from everyday problems.

    They are sometimes mistakenly assessed as stress-resistant, and this is a serious misconception. It’s just that what worries most other people occupies an insignificant place in their hierarchy of values. If their true values ​​are affected, then extremely low stress resistance is revealed and maladjustment proceeds in the most irrational way. Therefore, type “8” individuals, deprived of the opportunity to fit into the social niche offered to them by circumstances, may turn out to be misunderstood, outcasts, eccentrics, who, without being taken seriously, are feared and avoided.

    Those of them who have extraordinary abilities evoke respect and admiration, bordering on mystical worship, since for an ordinary person they still remain a mystery.

    In their personal lives, they can be patiently adored, despite the fact that they are completely unsuited to family life: women like the “wives of the Decembrists,” believing in the higher purpose of their life partner, sacrifice both themselves and the well-being of the entire family for the sake of the one they worship . If the pedestal of greatness of such a “special person” collapses for some reason, he remains in splendid isolation.

    Most often, people of this type are lonely all their lives, sacrificing personal well-being for the sake of their special purpose. Due to their extremely high intuition and ability to think transcendentally (i.e., in global categories), among them there are often fortune tellers, psychics, healers who use alternative methods of treatment, specialists who deal with the mental state of a person: psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as theologians, philosophers, astrologers, populist psychotherapists, leaders of religious sects and informal social trends.

  • 9. Hypomania, optimism scale (Ma). The hyperthymic type of behavior is, regardless of the circumstances, high spirits, excessive activity, vigorous activity, “splashing over the edge” energy without a clear direction. Good communication skills (willingly and quickly establish contacts with other people). Constant desire to seek “thrills”. The desire to test yourself and your strengths in extreme and non-standard situations. Orientation to work with frequent business trips, changes in teams and places of residence.

    However, interests, as a rule, are fleeting, superficial, and unstable. Everything quickly becomes boring; they lack endurance and perseverance. They are characterized by egocentrism, emotional immaturity, unreliability of moral attitudes and attachments. This scale reflects the activity of the position, a high level of love of life, self-confidence, positive self-esteem, a tendency to jokes and pranks, high achievement motivation, but focused more on motor mobility and speech hyperactivity than on specific goals.

    The mood is high, but in response to opposition, an angry reaction easily flares up and just as easily fades away. Success causes a certain exaltation, an emotion of pride. Everyday difficulties are perceived as easily surmountable, otherwise the significance of the unattainable is easily devalued.

    There is no inclination to seriously delve into complex problems, carelessness prevails, a joyful perception of the whole world around us and one’s existence, brightness of hopes, confidence in the future, conviction of one’s happiness.

    An elevated 9th scale defines accentuation as a hyperthymic or exalted type and reveals inflated self-esteem, ease of decision-making, lack of particular discernment in contacts, unceremonious behavior, a condescending attitude towards one’s mistakes and shortcomings, easily occurring emotional outbursts with quick reactivity, inconstancy in affections , excessive laughter, falling in love - in a word, characteristics that are completely natural for adolescence, but sound like a well-known infantilism for an adult.

    In a situation of stress, persons with a leading 9th scale in their profile show excessive, but not always purposeful activity, and can imitate an authoritative leading personality.

    They gravitate towards activities where they can realize physical and social activity, a craving for communication, and a desire to be visible. At the same time, satiety with monotony occurs quite quickly, a tendency to change the place or type of activity appears, which is usually driven by a feeling of failure, the desire to search for a better option or simply novelty.

    The properties revealed by the 9th scale can be life-altering only if maturity and a serious attitude towards life do not come to a person over the years: the play component in any areas of his activity remains dominant for the rest of his life, and the feeling never arises responsibility for yourself and loved ones. Typically, features characteristic of adolescence and early youth smooth out or disappear altogether in later years.

    An adult who belongs to type “9” is an incorrigible optimist, intoxicated by the joy of being: “the sea is knee-deep” and “jumping over one’s head” is a common thing for him. If something fails, then lies and boasting compensate for the damage caused to self-esteem, leaving it consistently high thanks to the powerful defense mechanism of “denial” of problems. Walking easily through life, personalities of this type are extremely sweet at a distance, but are incorrigibly irresponsible and unnecessary in family life and work.

    They can show sufficient (and even enviable) persistence and diligence only in activities that bring joy and completely coincide with their need for self-realization. Moreover, the desire to indulge immediate needs absolutely dominates any set aside goals and values ​​shifted to the future, which leads individuals of this type in their declining years to moral bankruptcy.

    Low scores on the 9th scale indicate a decrease in the level of optimism, love of life and activity. If there is a peak on the 2nd scale, then this profile reflects a particularly deep depressive mood (as a rule, the 0th scale is quite high), but if the peak on the 4th scale is also high, then due to increased impulsiveness Suicidal risk (S-risk) is especially pronounced here.

  • 0 Social Introversion Scale (Si) indicates a tendency to limit social contacts. These people have certain difficulties in establishing interpersonal contacts and are focused on communicating within a narrow circle of friends and acquaintances. This scale reveals the passivity of the personal position and a greater focus of interests in the world of internal experiences (than outside) with increased and high scores on the 0th scale.

    An increase in the 0th scale reflects a decrease in the level of inclusion in the social environment and reveals a certain isolation and shyness. In a situation of stress - inhibition, avoidance of contacts, escape from problems into loneliness.

    High indicators reflect not only isolation and taciturnity, but are often a sign of internal disharmony and a way of hiding the originality of one’s character and awkwardness in communication from others. Sometimes, at first glance, these people can give the impression of being quite sociable, but this comes at the cost of significant stress, which only they themselves know about. They rarely act as a leader.

    The fate of a person of type “0” is strongly dependent on any other leading tendency, since the signs inherent in the 0th scale in pure form characteristic only of a person who has completely withdrawn from the “vanity of the world,” a hermit who has refused any contact with the outside world.

    If the 0th scale is the only peak in the profile, then for women this indicates modesty, commitment to family interests, social compliance, and for men it indicates inertia, subjectivism, irritability, and isolation.

    Low scores on the 0th scale, on the contrary, demonstrate not only sociability and lack of shyness, but also ease in flaunting their characterological characteristics. Data on the 0th scale below 40 T reveal illegibility in contacts, excessive sociability, bordering on importunity with a high 9th scale in the profile.

  • STANDARDIZED MULTIFACTOR METHOD FOR RESEARCHING PERSONALITY - SMILE

    (ADAPTED MMPI TEST) L.N. SOBCHIK.

    Standardized Multifactorial Personality Test SMI (modified mmpi test) Introductory remarks

    The SMIL technique, in terms of its significance and effectiveness, can rightfully be called the “heavy artillery” of psychodiagnostics. And not because some specialists, who are little familiar with the technique, consider it cumbersome and time-consuming: in fact, it is about an hour of work by the person being examined (in this case, the psychologist may not even be present) and 10 minutes to calculate the data. The main thing is that after this, the psychologist receives a multifaceted portrait of a person, including, in addition to quantitative and qualitative characteristics of stable professionally important properties, a rich range of such structural components of the personality as motivational orientation, self-esteem, style of interpersonal behavior, gender-role status, character traits, type of response to stress, defense mechanisms , cognitive style, leading needs, mood background, sexual orientation, degree of adaptation of the individual and possible type of maladaptation, presence of mental disorders, severity of leadership traits, suicidal tendencies, predisposition to alcoholism, etc. At the same time, the great advantage of this technique is the presence in its structure reliability scales, which make it possible to determine not only the reliability of the results, but also the attitude of the subject towards the examination procedure itself. This makes it possible to interpret the data obtained through the prism of tendencies toward exaggerating existing problems or smoothing them out, identified using reliability scales.

    The standardized multifactorial personality research method SMIL is a modification of the MMPI test, created in 1942-49. for the purpose of professional selection of pilots during the Second World War. The authors are American psychologists I. McKinley and S. Hathaway. This is a quantified (quantitative) method of personality assessment, which, thanks to the automated method of processing survey results, eliminates the dependence of the results obtained on the subjectivity and experience of the experimenter. The high reliability of the technique, the presence of reliability scales and the multifactorial nature of interpretation have created the basis for the wide popularity of this technique in different countries of the world.

    The creation of the test questionnaire was based on a quantitative comparison of the answers received in a psychological interview with representatives of the normative group with the typical answers of patients in whom one or another syndrome clearly predominated in the picture of clinical disorders: hypochondria, depression, hysteria, psychopathy, psychasthenia, paranoia, schizophrenia, hypomania. These names were given to the corresponding scales measured by the methodology. This principle of constructing psychological methods was used by many psychologists who imagined the personal characteristics of the norm as a “diluted” pathology. The famous Russian psychologist B.V. Zeigarnik justified this approach, arguing that the pathological state is a sharpened model of the norm. Everything that is balanced and smoothed out in a mentally healthy person manifests itself in the form of a grotesque in a patient - sharply and nakedly. The MMPI test, developed by American psychologists, is still mainly used in America as a differential diagnostic method. An improved version of the MMPI, the SMIL test, is primarily aimed at studying personality, since many years of experience in using the technique have shown that it reveals to a greater extent the outline of psychologically understandable experiences and personality traits than diagnoses psychopathology.

    Many years of experience in studying personality traits in different professional groups have shown that these SMIL techniques can provide significant assistance in identifying stable professionally important personal traits. In addition, the technique has already become widespread among sociologists, doctors and psychologists involved in family counseling, suicidology, psychotherapy, alcoholism, psychosomatics, the study of personnel reserves, management problems, as well as in sports psychology, forensics, law, the Army, in military and civil aviation, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in employment centers, in schools, gymnasiums, colleges and in the field of higher education.

    In progress practical psychologist SMIL data allows us to understand the reasons for some turns in the fate of a particular person, directly related to his individual personal characteristics, character, style of communication with others, and his ability to self-realization.

    In connection with the readaptation of the methodology and the expansion of the scope of its application, the author of the modified version gave new names to most of the basic scales of the methodology, corresponding to their psychological essence, respectively: 1st scale - the scale of “neurotic overcontrol”, 2nd - “pessimism”, 3- I - “emotional lability”, 4th - “impulsivity”, 6th - “rigidity”, 7th - “anxiety”, 8th - “individualism”, 9th - “optimism and activity”. The names of two scales have not changed: 5th - “femininity-masculinity scale” and 0th - “social introversion scale”. As for almost two hundred additional scales that are not included in the construction of a personality profile, their names did not change after restandardization. These scales, compared to the profile of the basic scales, are much easier to interpret; basically, their essence is reflected by the very name of each scale. They have been developed by different authors in connection with different applied problems and can be used in addition to the main profile scales. As for the basic scales, they form a holistic personality profile, reflecting a portrait of the individual in all its complexity and diversity. Each additional scale only adds to this portrait a certain quality, which, refracted through a personal image, can acquire one or another sound.

    The SMIL profile is the broken line that connects the quantitative indicators of 10 basic scales. Adjacent to it is a small profile of reliability scales: the "?" scale. shows how many of the questionnaire statements fell into the “don’t know” response category. The "L" scale - the "Lies" scale - shows how sincere the subject was during the testing process. The "F" scale - the "credibility" scale - shows the level of reliability of the data obtained, depending on his frankness and willingness to cooperate. Scale “K” - the “correction” scale reveals the degree of distortion of the profile under the influence of the subject’s closeness. Depending on the indicators of these scales, the profile is recognized as reliable or unreliable, and its features are considered through the prism of the subject’s attitudes in relation to the examination procedure.

    The technique is presented to the subject in the form of a booklet containing 566 statements (the shortened version, which allows one to obtain a personality profile, but without additional scales, contains 360 statements). Why does the questionnaire contain statements rather than questions? Because a person answers questions of interest to a psychologist more sincerely if they are in the form of a statement. In such a situation, a person feels himself analyzing his “I”, as if alone with himself, and this contributes to greater frankness than the interrogative form, which sounds like an interrogation

    Statements are of a different nature, depending on what area of ​​​​human problems they cover. Most of them are aimed at identifying character traits, the style of communication with others, and reflect the subjective preferences and tastes of the person being examined, his views on different life values , features of emotional reactions, assessment of one’s own well-being and a number of physiological functions, mood background, etc. It is not the sentiment of the statement itself that is important. This is just a standard set of experimentally simulated situations to which different people react differently. What is important is the selectivity of the answers, which ultimately outlines the individual and personal properties of a particular person. The analysis of the results is not based on studying the meaning of the subject’s answers, but on a statistical procedure for calculating data, during which the quantitative dispersion of different answer options is revealed in relation, on the one hand, to the average normative average, and on the other, to the pathological sharpness of the psychological factor containing in essence, one or another individual-personal tendency. Most of the statements sound so that the subject, when answering, does not always understand how this characterizes him, which greatly complicates the desire to “improve” or “worse” the results of the examination. At first glance, the technique allows us to outline the subjective internal picture of the “I” of the person being examined. In reality, thanks to the partly projective sound of many statements, the experiment also reveals those psychological aspects that are not realized by a person or are only partially amenable to the control of consciousness. Therefore, only with statistically unreliable data is the personality profile distorted so much that it makes no sense to interpret it. Within the framework of reliable data, even in the presence of trends that influence the strengthening or smoothing of the profile pattern, the interpretation reflects the true picture of the personality. At the same time, a very differentiated gradation of the degree of expression of different personal characteristics in their complex combination is possible, when not only high indicators are taken into account, but also their relationship with low indicators. At the same time, a deviation from the average normative indicators, more than twice the mean square error, reveals an excessive degree of expression of a particular personality trait, taking it beyond a fairly wide (from 30 to 70 standard T points) corridor of normative variation. Such data do not necessarily indicate pathology. A state of stress, an objectively difficult situation, physical illness - all this can cause a state of temporary maladjustment. Therefore, the interpretation of the data obtained must be carried out in accordance with all the information available about the subject, not to mention the fact that for an adequate idea of ​​the subject it does not hurt to look at him. “Blind” interpretation can only be used for research purposes, when the reliability of the methodology is checked, as well as in large-scale surveys, when not the personality of an individual is interpreted, but some generalized trends of large groups.

    In the modified version, 26 statements were identified from the questionnaire, which turned out to be ballast: they not only misled and shocked the respondents, but also provoked inadequate answers. Basically, these are statements that “work” on the “F” reliability scale and the 8th “F” scale. schizophrenia". Thus, the statement “I often see people, animals and other objects that other people around me do not see” provoked the answer “true” from those who, by occupation (for example, athletes) travel a lot. different countries, while the statement aims to identify perceptual disturbances.

    Questionnaires in a modified form are divided into male, female and adolescent versions, the difference of which is reflected only in the form of presentation of some statements. The keys with which raw scores are calculated on each scale, the correction of raw indicators to form a personality profile in standard T indicators, as well as the interpretation scheme are absolutely identical for all forms of the questionnaire, except for some differences in the processing of data on the 5th scale in men and women profile. There are also full (566) and shortened (360) questionnaires, the only difference between which, in addition to volume, is that the shortened version does not allow you to obtain indicators on additional test scales.

    The profile sheets of the adult and adolescent versions differ only depending on the sex of the subject in the standards for a number of basic and most additional scales. Therefore, it is very important that the specialist is convinced of this before starting work. that the questionnaire itself, the keys, the profile sheets, and, finally, the interpretive approach belong to the same author. They differ both from the original (MMPI) and from SMIL developed at the All-Russian Research Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry. Ankylosing spondylitis Standardized clinical questionnaire SKLO and adapted by F.B. Berezin and M.P. Miroshnikov MMIL. Incomparable in all respects with the SMIL method is a questionnaire with 71 statements, a clinically oriented Mini-Multi, developed by the Swedish psychologist Kincannon and adapted in the Russian version by V.P. Zaitsev and V.N. Kozyulya.

    As experience shows, the methodology is mainly designed for examining a contingent of adults (from 16 to 80 years old) with completed primary education (7-8 grades of secondary school) with intact intelligence. Due to the fact that the author of the book, together with teachers B.N. Kodess and T.V. Kodess, developed and adapted the teenage version of SMIL in 1984, the boundaries of application of the technique have expanded somewhat. If the usual adult version has been widely and effectively used for many years in the practice of career counseling when examining high school students aged 16-17 years, the teenage version has been successfully used in recent years when studying children of a slightly younger age, starting from 12 years of age (subject to good general development). It is noted that unreliable results are often directly dependent not so much on the subject’s distorted attitude towards examination, but on poor understanding of the content of statements, which may be associated, firstly, with insufficiently developed verbal intelligence, and secondly, with poor knowledge of the Russian language Therefore, in regions where people speak a different language, the methodology should be translated into their native language, but at the same time it is also necessary to restandardize the quantitative basis of the methodology, since regulatory standards may have their own regional differences

    The examination procedure requires compliance with the following conditions: the subject should not be wary of the purposes of the study; he may claim certain information about the test results; An experimental psychologist or consultant is obliged, first of all, to respect the interests of the person being examined and never to interpret survey data to his detriment, since the role of a psychologist in society mainly comes down to protecting a person in every sense of the word. If this rule is violated, people will lose confidence in the psychologist and further psychological research will become impossible. The rest follows from this: the interpretation of the data obtained should be carried out from the standpoint of a psychotherapeutic, gentle approach. Each individual personal property usually carries both positive and negative information. Therefore, it is always possible to start an interview by highlighting positive characteristics, and then, against this background, highlight those characteristics and personality traits that create certain difficulties and negatively affect a person’s fate. But this should be done carefully and precisely in the style that is optimal for a given individual (see the correctional approach for each of the elevated scales in the profile).

    Interpretation.

    The information about the meaning of various types of profiles that are given in this section does not exhaust the variety of possible options, but they can be used as a guide when working with the methodology of multifaceted personality research. A systematic presentation of this information is especially useful for researchers beginning to work with the described methodology, since it allows them to quickly acquire the necessary interpretation experience.

    The basic rules for assessing a profile, the violation of which most often leads to erroneous interpretation, can be formulated as follows.

    1. The profile should be assessed as a whole, and not as a set of independent scales. The results obtained on one of the scales cannot be assessed in isolation from the results on other scales.

    2. When assessing a profile, the most important thing is the ratio of the profile level on each scale to the average profile level and, especially in relation to neighboring scales (profile peaks). The absolute value of the T-norm on one scale or another is less significant.

    3. The profile characterizes the personality characteristics and current mental state of the subject. In clinical practice, it reflects the characteristics of the psychopathological syndrome, and not the nosological affiliation of the disease. Therefore, the profile cannot be evaluated as a "Diagnostic Label".

    4. The results obtained cannot be considered as unshakable, since the connection of the profile with the current mental state determines its dynamics with changes in this state.

    5. Interpretation of individual profiles requires taking into account the entire set of data, which cannot be foreseen in advance due to the already noted variety of individual options. Therefore, literature data containing a description of typical profiles can only be used to master the basic principles of interpretation, and not as ready-made recipes.

    Trying to use a set of ready-made recipes can lead to significant errors in assessing the results of the study. For example, the same profile obtained in the study of a practically healthy person and an inpatient with severe clinical symptoms will have different meanings.

    These preliminary remarks must be kept in mind in any research conducted using a multifaceted personality research methodology. Since profile types are determined by the ratio of its level on various scales, the values ​​of isolated profile elevations on each of the scales and their combinations are discussed below.

    Rating scales.

    Rating scales (scales L, F and K) were introduced into the original version of the MMPI test in order to study the subject's attitude towards testing and judge the reliability of the study results. However, subsequent study made it possible to establish that these scales also have significant psychological correlates.

    ScaleL.

    The statements included in the L scale were selected to identify the subject's tendency to present himself in the most favorable light possible, demonstrating strict adherence to social norms.

    The scale consists of 15 statements that relate to socially approved, but unimportant attitudes and norms of everyday behavior, which, due to their low significance, are actually ignored by the vast majority of people. Thus, an increase in the result on the L scale usually indicates the desire of the subject to look in a favorable light. This desire may be situationally determined, due to the subject’s limited horizons, or caused by the presence of pathology. However, it must be borne in mind that some people tend to punctually follow the established standard, always observing any rules, even the most insignificant and not of significant value. In these cases, an increase in the result on the L scale reflects the specified character traits. Belonging to a professional group, from which, due to its specificity, an extremely high standard of behavior and punctual adherence to conventional norms is required, also contributes to an increase in the result on the L scale. This kind of high standard of behavior can be observed, in particular, among justice workers, teachers and in some other professional groups.

    It should be noted that since the statements that make up the L scale , used in their literal meaning, they may not reveal a tendency to appear in a favorable light if it occurs in persons of sufficiently high intelligence and extensive life experience.

    If the results on the L scale are from 70 to 80 T-scores, the resulting profile seems doubtful, and with results over 80 T-scores, it is unreliable. High results on the L scale are usually accompanied by a decrease in the profile level on the main clinical scales. If, despite the high result on the L scale, significant increases in the level of the profile on certain clinical scales are detected, they can be taken into account in the totality of data available to the researcher.

    F scale.

    A significant increase in the profile on this scale indicates accidental or intentional distortion of the study results.

    The scale consists of 64 statements that were extremely rarely regarded as “true” by persons included in the normative group of healthy subjects, which was used to standardize the methodology for multilateral personality research. At the same time, these statements rarely differentiated the normative group from the groups of patients against whom the main test scales were validated.

    Statements included in the F scale relate, in particular, to unusual thoughts, desires and sensations, overt psychotic symptoms, and those whose existence is almost never recognized by the patients being studied.

    If the F scale profile exceeds 70 T-scores, the result is questionable, but can be taken into account when confirmed by other, including clinical, data. If the F-scale result exceeds 80 T-scores, the study result should be considered unreliable. This result may be caused by technical errors made during the study. In cases where the possibility of error is excluded, the unreliability of the result is determined by the attitude of the subject or his condition. During attitudinal behavior, the subject may lay out cards without any connection with their meaning (if he seeks to avoid research) or recognize as true statements regarding unusual or clearly psychotic phenomena (if he seeks to aggravate or simulate psychopathological symptoms).

    An unreliable result associated with the patient's condition can be observed in cases of acute psychotic state (impaired consciousness, delusions, etc.), distorting the perception of statements or the reaction to them. A similar distortion can be observed in cases of severe psychotic disorders leading to a defect. A dubious or unreliable result can be obtained from anxious individuals in cases where an urgent need for help prompts them to give considered answers to most statements. In these cases, simultaneously with an increase in the result on the F scale, the entire profile increases significantly, but the shape of the profile is not distorted and the possibility of its interpretation remains. Finally, changes in the subject’s attention can lead to an unreliable result, as a result of which he makes mistakes or cannot understand the meaning of the statement. If an unreliable result is obtained, in some cases it is possible to increase the reliability of the study through retesting. In this case, it is more advisable to repeatedly present only those statements for which the responses taken into account were received. If the result of repeated testing is unreliable, you can try to establish the reason for the distortion of the result by discussing his answers with the subject. To avoid breaking contact with the subject, it is necessary to obtain his consent to such a discussion.

    With a reliable result of the study, a relatively high profile level on the F scale (deviation from the average by 1.5-2s) can be observed in various types of non-conforming personalities, since such individuals will reveal reactions that are not characteristic of the normative group, and accordingly more often give answers taken into account on scale F. Violation of conformity may be associated with the originality of perception and logic, characteristic of people of a schizoid type, autistic and experiencing difficulties in interpersonal contacts, as well as with psychopathic traits in people prone to disordered (“bohemian”) behavior or characterized by pronounced feelings protest against conventional norms. An increase in the profile on the F scale can also be observed in very young people during the period of personality formation in cases where the need for self-expression is realized through non-conformity in behavior and views. Severe anxiety and the need for help usually manifests itself in a relatively high level of result on the described scale.

    A moderate increase on the F scale (deviation from the average by 1.0-1.5s) in the absence of psychopathological symptoms usually reflects internal tension, dissatisfaction with the situation, and poorly organized activity. The tendency to follow conventional norms and the absence of internal tension determine the low result on the F scale.

    In clinically undoubted cases of the disease, an increase in the profile on the F scale usually correlates with the severity of psychopathological symptoms.

    K scale

    The scale consists of 30 statements that make it possible to differentiate between individuals who seek to soften or hide psychopathological phenomena and individuals who are overly open.

    In the original version of the MMPI test, this scale was originally intended only to study the degree of caution of subjects in a testing situation and the tendency (largely unconscious) to deny existing unpleasant sensations, life difficulties and conflicts. The result obtained from the K scale is added to correct the indicated tendency to five of the ten main clinical scales in a proportion corresponding to its influence on each of these scales. To the greatest extent, this trend affects the results obtained on the seventh and eighth scales, and therefore the primary result obtained on these scales is completely added to the primary result obtained on the K scale. To a lesser extent, it affects the results obtained on the first and fourth scales, therefore, when correcting, 0.5 is added to the primary result obtained on the first scale, and 0.4 of the primary result on the K scale is added to the result obtained on the fourth scale. To the least extent this tendency affects the result obtained on the ninth scale; during correction, 0.2 of the primary result on the K scale is added to the primary result on this scale. The results obtained on the remaining scales do not show any natural changes depending on the result on the K scale and therefore are not corrected in the described manner. However, the K scale, in addition to its significance for assessing the test subject’s reaction to the testing situation and correcting results on a number of basic clinical scales, is also of significant interest for assessing certain personality traits of the subject.

    Individuals with high scores on the K scale tend to base their behavior on social approval and are concerned about their social status. They tend to deny any difficulties in interpersonal relationships or in controlling their own behavior, strive to comply with accepted norms and refrain from criticizing others to the extent that the behavior of others falls within the framework of the accepted norm. Obviously non-conforming behavior of other people, deviating from traditions and customs, going beyond the conventional framework, causes a pronounced negative reaction in persons who give high scores on the K scale. Due to the tendency to deny (to a large extent at the perceptual level) information indicating difficulties and conflicts, these individuals may not have an adequate idea of ​​how others perceive them. In clinical cases, an expressed desire to achieve a favorable attitude towards oneself may be combined with anxiety and uncertainty.

    With insignificant expression (moderate increases in the profile on the K scale), the described tendencies not only do not disrupt the individual’s adaptation, but even facilitate it, causing a feeling of harmony with the environment and an approving assessment of the rules accepted in this environment. In this regard, persons with a moderate increase in profile on the K scale give the impression of reasonable, friendly, sociable people with a wide range of interests. Extensive experience in interpersonal contacts and denial of difficulties determine in individuals of this type a more or less high level of enterprise and the ability to find the right line of behavior. Since such qualities improve social adaptation, a moderate increase in the profile on the K scale can be considered as a prognostically favorable sign.

    Individuals with a very low profile on the K scale are highly aware of their difficulties and tend to exaggerate rather than underestimate the extent of interpersonal conflicts, the severity of their symptoms, and the degree of personal inadequacy. They do not hide their weaknesses, difficulties and psychopathological disorders. The tendency to be critical of oneself and others leads to skepticism. Dissatisfaction and a tendency to exaggerate the significance of conflicts make them easily vulnerable and create awkwardness in interpersonal relationships.

    IndexF-TO. Since the trends measured by the F and K scales are largely in opposite directions, the difference in the primary result obtained on these scales is essential for determining the subject’s attitude at the time of the study and judging the reliability of the result obtained. The average value of this index in the method of multilateral personality research is -7 for men and -8 for women. The intervals at which the obtained result can be considered reliable (if none of the rating scales exceeds 70 T-points) are for men from -18 to +4, for women from -23 to +7. If the F-K difference is from +5 to +7 for men and from +8 to +10 for women, then the result seems doubtful, but if confirmed by clinical data, it can be taken into account provided that none of the rating scales exceeds 80 T-points.

    The greater the F-K difference, the more pronounced the subject’s desire to emphasize the severity of his symptoms and life’s difficulties, to evoke sympathy and condolences. A high level of the F-K index may also indicate aggravation. A decrease in the F-K index reflects the desire to improve one’s self-image, mitigate one’s symptoms and emotionally charged problems, or deny their presence. A low level of this index may indicate dissimulation of existing psychopathological disorders.

    Clinical scales.

    The validity of clinical scales was determined by comparing the results of the study using the described methodology of different groups of patients with a clinically identified syndrome among themselves and with a group of healthy individuals.

    Comparison of the profiles of patients with various nosological forms (schizophrenia, organic lesions of the central nervous system of various etiologies, manic-depressive psychosis, neuroses and psychopathy) and various psychopathological syndromes made it possible to establish that the profile of the method of multilateral personality research did not depend on the nosological affiliation of the disease, but was determined by the psychopathological syndrome.

    An important advantage of the method of multilateral personality research lies in the possibility of constructing an average profile of any group of subjects identified using a criterion external to the method.

    When constructing an averaged profile, the average values ​​for a given group (in T-scores) are used as indicators on individual scales, and methods of variation statistics make it possible to judge whether an observation belongs to the series under consideration, the magnitude of the scatter, and the reliability of the differences between the averaged profiles of any selected groups. It should be assumed that when constructing an average profile of any group that is representative of the population under study, leveling individual tendencies makes it possible to assess the tendencies characteristic of the group as a whole.

    Neurotic triad scales.

    The scales located in the left half of the profile - first, second and third, in the literature devoted to the original MMPI test, are often combined with the term “neurotic triad”, since an increase in the profile on these scales is usually observed in neurotic disorders. Neurotic reactions are associated with the insufficiency of the individual’s physical and mental resources to implement motivated behavior in a certain situation. The blockade of motivated behavior aimed at satisfying current needs, which underlies neurotic phenomena, is usually designated by the term “frustration.”

    In the formation of neurotic disorders, the greatest pathogenic significance is not the passive obstacles that interfere with the satisfaction of an urgent need, but the impossibility of realizing motivated behavior due to the presence of needs of comparable strength, but differently directed. In this case, maladaptive behavior associated with the difficulty of choosing one of the simultaneously existing and competing programs is an expression of intrapsychic conflict. A rise in profile on neurotic scales can be caused by any of three possible types of conflict: the need to choose between two equally desirable possibilities; the inevitability of a choice between two equally undesirable possibilities or the necessity of choosing between achieving what you want at the cost of unwanted experiences and giving up what you want in order to avoid these experiences.

    However, the nature of the profile is determined not by the type of conflict, but by the degree of participation in the formation of behavior of intrapsychic adaptation mechanisms and the nature of these mechanisms, which ultimately determine the clinical picture of neurosis. The profile on the scales of the neurotic triad and the severity of its rise on the seventh scale quite accurately reflect the nature of neurotic syndromes. It is also important to take into account the ratio of the results obtained on these scales and on other profile scales. It should be noted that the term “neurotic triad” reflects only the high value of these scales for the study of neurotic types of reactions, but in no way excludes an increase in the profile on these scales (in combination with other profile scales) in other forms of pathology, and if profile peaks do not go beyond the boundaries of normal fluctuations even during certain forms of normal mental reactions.

    Second scale. Anxiety and depressive tendencies.

    It is advisable to start considering the clinical scales of the test with the second scale, since it best reflects the occurrence of anxiety. Anxiety, arising as a subjective reflection of disturbed psychovegetative (neurovegetative, neurohumoral) balance, serves as the most intimate mechanism of mental stress and underlies most psychopathological manifestations.

    The 60 statements that make up the second scale relate to such phenomena as internal tension, uncertainty, anxiety, decreased mood, low self-esteem, and a pessimistic assessment of the future. This enumeration makes clear the pronounced increase in the profile on the scale under consideration, both in the phenomena of anxiety and depression. For example, individuals who exhibit these phenomena typically respond “true” to the statements: “You definitely lack self-confidence,” “You often have dark thoughts,” and respond “false” to the statements: “Compared to most people, you are quite capable and smart”, “You believe that in the future people will live much better than now”, “In good weather your mood improves.”

    The nature of the profile usually allows one to differentiate between the predominance of anxiety or depression. An isolated and moderate increase in the level of the profile on the second scale (especially in those cases where there is no simultaneous decrease in it on the ninth) usually indicates anxiety more than depression.

    Clinically, anxiety is manifested by a feeling of an uncertain threat, the nature and (or) time of occurrence of which cannot be predicted, diffuse fears and anxious anticipation. However, anxiety itself is a central, but not the only element in the group of disorders that can be called anxiety-related phenomena, and the occurrence of each of which causes an increase in the profile on the second scale.

    The least pronounced disorder of this series is a feeling of internal tension, readiness for the occurrence of some unexpected phenomenon, which, however, is not yet assessed as threatening. An increase in feelings of internal tension often leads to difficulty in isolating a signal from the background, that is, in differentiating significant and insignificant stimuli. Clinically, this is expressed by the appearance of an unpleasant emotional connotation of previously indifferent stimuli. A further increase in the severity of anxiety disorders leads to the emergence of anxiety itself (free-floating anxiety, vague anxiety), which is usually replaced by fear, i.e. a feeling of no longer an uncertain, but a concrete threat, and in the most pronounced cases, a feeling of the inevitability of an impending catastrophe. A change in the disorders included in this series manifests itself mainly in an increase in the profile on the second scale, which, due to its mobility, can serve as a very accurate indicator of the severity of the feeling of trouble and threat. An isolated peak in the profile on the second scale, which arose as a reflection of anxiety, is usually not constant; upon repeated testing, either the disappearance of this peak is detected, or rises are also noted on other scales of the profile. This may be due to the fact that pronounced disturbances in homeostasis, which characterize the occurrence of anxiety, trigger the activation of mechanisms that ensure its elimination. Since anxiety arises in connection with a violation of the established unity of needs and the stereotype of behavior aimed at satisfying these needs, its elimination can occur, firstly, if the environment changes, and, secondly, if the individual’s attitude towards a non-changing environment changes. In the first case, i.e., in the case when anxiety is eliminated by changing the environment (heteroplastic adaptation), the peak of the profile on the second scale also disappears. In the second case, when anxiety is eliminated by turning on the mechanisms of intrapsychic adaptation, then, depending on the nature of these mechanisms, the shape of the profile will change as the indicators on other scales change. At first, the initial rise in profile is usually maintained on the second scale, which subsequently disappears if the anxiety is effectively eliminated. The peak of the profile on the second scale, however, remains if anxiety is eliminated while depression increases.

    At the physiological level, the elimination of anxiety as depression deepens can be considered as the elimination of generalized activation and pronounced disturbances of homeostasis due to the inclusion of ancient mechanisms of autonomic regulation, which reduce the level of autonomic fluctuations through a general decrease in activity in conditions of insufficiency of differentiated autonomic regulation.

    The study of the biochemical mechanism of this phenomenon made it possible to discover, in particular, the activation by glucocorticoids, the level of which increases with anxiety, of the enzyme tryptophan pyrrolase, in connection with which tryptophan metabolism is directed along the kynurenine pathway.

    Due to this, the level of serotonin synthesis decreases, the deficiency of which plays a pathogenetic role in the development of depression.

    A study of the dynamics of catecholamine metabolism during the change from states of anxiety to depressive states (devoid of an anxiety component) made it possible to establish that as depression develops, the increase in processes of synthesis of catecholamines (especially norepinephrine) characteristic of the period of anxiety and a slowdown in their metabolism are replaced by a slowdown in synthesis and acceleration of metabolism. Thus, research on the humoral correlates of anxiety also indicates a decrease in the intensity of anxiety as depression increases.

    Since depressive syndrome is accompanied by a decrease in the level of motivations, depression at the psychological level can be considered, in particular, as the elimination of anxiety-causing frustration by reducing the level of motivations by devaluing the original need.

    When anxiety is replaced by depression, the profile usually decreases on the ninth scale, and the increase in the profile on the second scale and the depth of the decline on the ninth are greater, the more pronounced the loss of interests, a feeling of indifference, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, lack of motivation for active activity, suppressed drives. In classic depression not accompanied by anxiety, the depth of the decrease in the profile on the ninth scale in relation to the average level of the profile usually corresponds to the magnitude of its increase on the second, however, very low T-scores on the ninth scale allow one to speak of depression even in cases where the peak is on the second scale relatively low. In this case, we are talking primarily about anhedonic depression.

    Individuals whose profile is characterized mainly by an increase on the second scale are usually perceived by others as pessimistic, withdrawn, silent, shy or overly serious. They may appear withdrawn and avoiding contact. However, in reality, these people are characterized by a constant need for deep and lasting contacts with others (i.e., a strong symbiotic tendency). They easily begin to identify themselves with other people and certain aspects of their being. If this identification is disrupted due to changes in the system of established connections, such changes may be perceived as a catastrophe and lead to deep depression, while such a reaction does not seem adequate to an objective observer. The mere threat of breaking symbiotic relationships can cause anxiety in such individuals, further increasing the rise in the profile on the second scale. Their isolation and isolation may reflect a desire to avoid disappointment. In reality, they feel the need to attract and retain the attention of others, value their appreciation, and strive to acquire and maintain their intimacy. Due to the severity of this tendency, situations that require an aggressive reaction directed outward cause them anxiety. They are characterized by reactions accompanied by feelings of guilt, anger directed at themselves, and auto-aggression (intrapunitive reactions).

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