Psychological Assessment and Ethics Research Paper

Psychological assessment is an interesting topic for discussion because numerous techniques are used to analyze different personalities. This information is needed to make diagnostic decisions (Bush, Heilbronner, & Ruff, 2014). It is important to take necessary measures to guarantee the validity of results, and ethical aspects should also be considered.

MMPI-2 is one of the most useful tools of psychological evaluation that is used in different fields (Nichols, 2011). It is a test used to determine the personality and mental qualities of an individual. Different versions are used for some age groups to assess various conditions.

The process consists of many steps that are necessary to make sure that results are accurate. The tool helps to evaluate behavioral traits of a person, and if an individual has a mental disorder or other psychological conditions. Many factors such as duration of the assessment, conditions, and others should also be considered.

The scoring of this test is extremely complex. This method of testing is unique because it has an enormous amount of questions, and it takes a very long time to process. It has ten primary scales such as hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, masculinity-femininity, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia, and hypomania (Nichols, 2011). Such high score as 80 and more on one of them is a worrying sign.

There is also a scale that measures social introversion but it does not affect the behavior of an individual as much as others, and results are not that serious. And other ones help to assess aggressiveness, anxiety, anger and other factors. The validity scales are also paramount for correct evaluation (Bush, Heilbronner, & Ruff, 2014).

It is also important to note that some conditions may severely impact the results of the assessment. However, it must be said that this tool has its weaknesses (Nichols, 2011). It cannot be used as a tool to predict offensive behavior and recidivism.

Few important moral aspects related should be discussed. The ethical code that was developed by American Psychological Association (APA) is used to review such issues (Leach, 2011). According to it, psychologists should follow a set of rules during the process of assessment. The administration of the evaluation is imperative. Professionals should understand the ethics of interpreting of obtained data, test scoring, and others.

It is crucial that a person that conducts assessment is competent. It is paramount that the information that was obtained during the process stays confidential. Nichols (2011) states that “the clinician must inform the patient of advantages and disadvantages of cooperating with the assessment, including how the information derived will be used, and with whom and for what purpose it may be shared” (p. 20).

Differently put, a person that is being tested should understand all the important factors. One of the crucial aspects that must be considered is that the test materials and a person that is being tested must be monitored. However, it should be noted that an individual may not want to answer all the questions, and it complicates the process.

In conclusion, MMPI-2 is a useful tool for psychological assessment that is being updated quite often. Evaluation requires an immense knowledge of the method because scoring is not that easy in some cases, and it may be complicated by various factors. Overall, it is necessary to understand and follow ethical rules during the process of psychological evaluation.

References

Bush, S., Heilbronner, R., & Ruff, R. (2014). Psychological assessment of symptom and performance validity, response bias, and malingering: Official position of the association for scientific advancement in psychological injury and law. Psychological Injury and Law, 7(3), 197-205.

Leach, M. M. (2012). The Oxford handbook of international psychological ethics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Nichols, D. (2011). Essentials of MMPI-2 Assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.