Objective Study of Abnormal Personality in Cross-Cultural Settings

Abstract

The cross-cultural use of objective instruments to assess personality and psychopathology has increased markedly in recent times. The most widely used clinical personality inventory in international settings is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI/MMPI-2.) The present article describes the procedures characteristically followed by international scholars to adapt the MMPI-2 for their clinical applications. Steps in the translation and adaptation process are described and methods of assuring test equivalence discussed. A number of international MMPI-2-based research programs are highlighted and some limitations to the application of the MMPI-2 in cross-cultural research are noted.