High Scores on L
Evaluating whether an L scale is elevated requires that the person's demographic char- acteristics first be considered. A raw score of 4 or 5 would be a moderate score for lower-class persons or persons from the middle class who are laborers. In contrast, a raw score of 4 or 5 would be considered high for college-educated persons unless it can be explained based on their occupations (e.g., clergy). A high score on the MMPI-A is considered to be T = 66+. If the client's score is considered high, it may indicate the person is describing himself or herself in an overly favorable light. This may result from conscious deception or, alternatively, from an unrealistic view of himself or herself. Such clients may be inflexible, unoriginal, and unaware of the impressions they make on others, and perceive their world in a rigid, self-centered manner. As a result of their rigidity, they may have a low tolerance to stress. Because they will deny any flaws in themselves, their insight will be poor. This is likely to make them poor candidates for psychotherapy. Extremely high scores would suggest that they are ruminative, extremely rigid, and will experience difficulties in relationships. This may be consis- tent with many paranoids who place considerable emphasis on denying their personal flaws and instead project them onto others. Extremely high scores might also be the result of conscious deception by antisocial personalities.