MCMI - III

DISCLOSURE INDEX (SCALE X)

Elevation on the Disclosure Index indicates that the client tends to be frank and self-revealing.

DESIRABILITY INDEX (SCALE Y)

Elevation on the Desirability Index indicates that the client may be inclined to appear socially
attractive, morally virtuous or emotionally well composed. He may have a tendency to place
oneself in a favorable light.

DEBASEMENT INDEX (SCALE Z)

Elevation on the Debasement Index indicates that the client may be inclined to deprecate or
devalue oneself by presenting more troublesome emotional and personal difficulties than are
likely to be uncovered upon objective review.

RESPONSE STYLE CONSIDERATIONS

Scale X low, Y & Z elevated – antithetical symptoms and characteristics, questioning the validity
of the profile.

Scale X low and Y elevated – Portrayal of self in best possible light

Scale X & Z elevated = Cry for help profile, making them look more psychologically impaired
than they really are.

CLINICAL PERSONALITY PATTERNS

• SCALE 1: SCHIZOID

Elevation in Schizoid Scale suggests that client tend to be apathetic, listless, distant and asocial.
Her emotions and affectionate needs are minimal, and she may function as a passive observer
detached from the rewards and affections along with demands of human relationships.
• SCALE 2A: AVOIDANT

Elevation in Avoidant scale suggests that client tends to be vigilant and always on guard and is
ready to distance herself from anxious anticipation of life’s painful or negatively reinforcing
experiences.He tends to maintain a constant vigil, to prevent his impulses and long for affection
from resulting in a repetition of the pain and anguish he might have experienced with others.

• SCALE 2B: DEPRESSIVE

Elevation in Depressive Scale indicates that client tends to be pessimistic with inability to
experience pleasure. She may have developed a disheartened outlook due to disconsolate family
environment.

• SCALE 3: DEPENDENT

Elevation on the Dependent scale indicates that the client tends to not only turn to others for
nurturance and security but to wait passively for their leadership in providing her. She might be
characterised by a search for relationships in which she can lean on others for affection, security
and guidance.

• SCALE 4: HISTRIONIC

Elevation on the Histrionic scale indicates that the client tends to exhibit an insatiable search for
stimulation and affection. His clever and often artful social behaviour gives the appearance of
inner confidence and independent self-assurance; beneath this guise, however, lies a fear of
genuine autonomy and a need for repeated signs of acceptance and approval. Tribute and
affection must be constantly replenished and is sought from every interpersonal source and in
every social context.

• SCALE 5: NARCISSITIC

Elevation in Narcissistic dimension indicates that the client tends to be egoistically self-
involved, experiencing primary pleasure simply by passively being or focusing on himself. Early
experiences might have taught him to overvalue his self-worth.
• SCALE 6A: ANTISOCIAL

Elevation in Antisocial Scale indicates that her aggrandizing orientation reflects her skepticism
concerning the motives of others, a desire for autonomy and a wish for revenge and recompense
for what she considers past injustices. She may be irresponsible and impulsive which she may
consider to be justified because she may judge others to be unreliable or disloyal.

• SCALE 6B: SADISTIC

Elevation in the Sadistic (Aggressive) dimension indicates that the client tends to get pleasure or
satisfaction in ways that humiliate others and violate their rights and feelings. He may be hostile,
pervasively combative and appear to be indifferent to or pleased by the destructive consequence
of their contentious, abusive and brutal behaviour.

• SCALE 7: COMPULSIVE

Elevation on the Compulsive scale indicates that he might have been intimidated and coerced
into accepting the demands and judgments imposed on them by others. His prudent, controlled
and perfectionistic ways derive from a conflict between hostility towards others and fear of
social disapproval. He tends to resolve this ambivalence by suppressing this resentment and by
over-conforming and placing high demands on himself and others. Behind this front of
disciplined self-restraint, however, are intense anger and oppositional feelings that occasionally
break through his controls.

• SCALE 8A: NEGATIVISTIC

Elevation in Negativistic Scale indicates that the client is torn between following the rewards
that are offered by others and those he desires himself. It provides a further indication of
behavior characterized by an erratic pattern of explosive anger or stubbornness intermingled with
periods of guilt and shame.

• SCALE 8B: MASOCHISTIC

Elevation in Masochistic Scale suggests that the client tends to experience few positive
reinforcers from themselves or others. He tends to be vigilant and always on guard, ready to
distance himself from anxious anticipation of life’s painful or negatively reinforcing experiences.
He tends to maintain a constant vigil, to prevent his impulses and long for affection from
resulting in a repetition of the pain and anguish he might have experienced with others.

SEVERE PERSONALITY PATHOLOGY

• SCALE S: SCHIZOTYPAL

Elevation was found in the Schizotypal scale, indicating that the client prefers social isolation
with minimal personal attachments and obligations. She may be cognitively confused, think
tangentially and often appear to be self-absorbed and ruminative.

• SCALE C: BORDERLINE

Elevation in Borderline Scale indicates that client tends to experience intense endogenous
moods with recurring periods of dejection and apathy, often interspersed with spells of anger,
anxiety of euphoria. She might have recurring thoughts about self-mutilation and suicide,
appears overly preoccupied with securing affection, have difficulty maintaining a clear sense of
identity and displays a cognitive-affective ambivalence that is evident in conflicting feelings of
rage, love and guilt towards others.

• SCALE P: PARANOID

Elevations found on the Paranoid Scale, indicate that the client tends to display a vigilant
mistrust of others and an edgy defensiveness against anticipated criticism and deception. There is
an abrasive irritability and a tendency to precipitate exasperation and anger in others. She might
often express fear of losing independence, leading her to vigorously resist external influence and
control.
CLINICAL SYNDROMES

• SCALE A: ANXIETY

Elevation in Anxiety Scale indicates that client is typically tense, indecisive and restless and
tends to complain of various types of physical discomfort, such as tightness, excessive
perspiration, ill-defined muscular aches and nausea. There is a generalized state of tension,
manifested by an inability to relax, fidgety movements, and a readiness to react and be easily
startled. Also notable are worrisomeness, a hyper alertness to one’s environment, edginess and
generalized touchiness.

• SCALE H: SOMATOFORM

Elevation in Somatoform Scale indicates that the client expresses her psychological difficulties
through somatic channels, persistent periods of fatigue and weakness, and a preoccupation with
ill-health and a variety of dramatic but largely non-specific pains in different and unrelated
regions of the body.

• SCALE N: BIPOLAR MANIC

Elevation in Bipolar Disorder Scale indicates that client may have evident periods of superficial
elation, inflated self-esteem, restless over activity and distractibility, pressured speech,
impulsiveness, and irritability. Further might have unselective enthusiasm, excessive planning
for unrealistic goals, flights of ideas and rapid and liable shifts of mood.

• SCALE D: DYSTHYMIA

Elevation in Dysthymia scale indicates that client tends to be preoccupied with feelings of
discouragement, lack of initiative, behavioural apathy, and low self esteem and expressed futility
over a period of years. She may also experience social withdrawal, chronic fatigue, poor
concentration and marked loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

• SCALE B: ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

• Elevation in Alcohol Dependence Scale indicated that the client might have had a history of
alcoholism and has tried to overcome the problem with minimal success and might have
experienced considerable discomfort in family and work settings.
• SCALE T: DRUG DEPENDENCE

Elevation in Drug Dependence Scale indicates that he probably has a recurrent or recent history
of drug abuse, tends to find it difficult to restrain impulses or keep them within conventional
social limits, and is unable to manage the personal consequences of his behaviour.

• SCALE R: POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Elevation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder indicates that the client may have experienced an
event that involved threat to his life and reacted to it with intense fear or feelings of helplessness.
The client experiences images and emotions associated with trauma persistently resulting in
distressing recollections and nightmares that reactivate the feelings generated by the original
event.

SEVERE CLINICAL SYNDROMES

 SCALE SS: THOUGHT DISORDER

Elevation is found on Thought Disorder scale, indicating that he may periodically exhibit
incongruous, disorganized, or regressive behaviour, often appearing confused and disoriented
and occasionally displaying inappropriate affect, scattered hallucinations and unsystematic
delusions. Withdrawn and seclusive behaviour may be noted.

 SCALE CC: MAJOR DEPRESSION

Elevation in Major Depression Scale indicates that the client’s incapability to function in
normal environment, is severely depressed and express a dread of future, suicidal ideation, a
sense of hopelessness, somatic problems, decreased appetite, fatigue, weight loss, insomnia,
feelings of worthlessness and guilt, and difficulty in concentration.
  SCALE PP: DELUSIONAL DISORDER

Elevation in Delusional Disorder Scale indicates that the client tends to be frequently acutely
paranoid and may become periodically belligerent, voicing irrational but inter-connected
delusions of a jealous, persecutory or grandiose nature. She might experience hostile moods and
may feel picked on and mistreated along with suspiciousness, vigilance and alertness to possible
betrayal.