is that elevations can often occur for a variety of reasons.
For example , an elevation on 4 (Psychopathic Deviance) might result from family discord, poor peer relations, alienation from self and society, and/or acting out associated with legal difficulties.
This means that a person interpreting an elevated Scale 4 (Psychopathic Deviance) might potentially infer antisocial acting out when family discord is the major reason for the scale elevation. To enhance the likelihood of accurate interpretations, practitioners need to carefully evaluate the meanings of scale elevations. This might include looking at the content of selected items (critical items). scoring the Harris-Lingoes subscales, considering the meaning s of content or supplementary scales. referring to published MMPI research, and integrating the results from the client's history and relevant behavioral observations. Differentiating which of these scale dimensions is most relevant can be quite challenging for the practitioner.