Psychological Assessment of Airline Pilot Applicants With the MMPI-2

Abstract

Psychological tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) have been used widely to assess personality characteristics and appraise potential mental health problems of individuals applying for responsible positions. This study had three major goals: First, these data allowed for an evaluation of the effects of the new norms for the traditional validity and clinical scale scores of the MMPI-2 in an employment selection program. Second, the effects that test defensiveness had on the MMPI-2 scores of a group of individuals, airline pilot applicants who were taking the test in a preemployment context, were evaluated. Third, useful descriptive information was provided on the performance of airline pilot applicants on MMPI-2 scales to give interpretive guidelines for using the MMPI-2 in psychological screening. A sample of 437 airline pilot applicants seeking employment as airline flight crew members was administered the MMPI-2. Results of the study showed that the MMPI-2 norms were more appropriate for characterizing pilot applicants than were the original MMPI norms, which tended to overpathologize test takers. The effects of defensiveness on MMPI-2 profiles were found to be pronounced. Interpretive guidelines for using the MMPI-2 in personnel screening were proposed.

Screening Air Traffic Control Specialists for Psychopathology Using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2

“…The data suggest that the ATCS partcpants n ths study were remarkably close to the publshed norms as well as smlar to the plots reported by Butcher (1994) . overall, the vast majorty of the partcpants n ths study rendered profiles soldly wthn normal lmts, when compared wth the normatve sample .…”

Dynamics of personality test responses: The empiricist's manifesto revisited

“…This finding is consistent with Meehl's position that a defensive response pattern still can be associated with important personality factors if the external relationships have been tied to the test indices. There clearly were interpretable personality differences between these substance-abusing pilots and pilots in general (Butcher, 1994) on the MMPI.…”

Clinical Psychological Evaluations for Pre-Employment Selection

“…These evaluations are typically reserved for stressful or sensitive occupations, which commonly translate to positions in which emotional stability, responsibility, and good psychological adjustment are critical for the effective performance of specific job functions or critical job tasks (Butcher 1994). Dubbed "high-risk occupations" in the literature (e.g., Corey and Borum 2013), these positions include those that represent a significant public safety risk.…”

“…This type of behavior, in which the applicant minimizes problem issues, focuses only on favorable personal information, or denies the presence of common faults, is likely the most common type of problematic response style present in preemployment evaluation contexts (Butcher et al 2006). Previous research has demonstrated that applicants do engage in defensive responding at high rates (Butcher 1994;Graham 2006) and that such behavior may influence or negate the validity of the measure being used (Graham 2006). In addition, such behavior may impair the utility of validity indicators designed to detect such behavior, as these detection scales were often developed for purposes outside of the employment and selection context (Butcher 1994).…”

“…Previous research has demonstrated that applicants do engage in defensive responding at high rates (Butcher 1994;Graham 2006) and that such behavior may influence or negate the validity of the measure being used (Graham 2006). In addition, such behavior may impair the utility of validity indicators designed to detect such behavior, as these detection scales were often developed for purposes outside of the employment and selection context (Butcher 1994). Given the propensity of applicants to respond defensively to test items during evaluations, it is imperative that the examining psychologist be familiar with appropriate strategies that accurately appraise defensiveness in applicants (e.g., knowledge of when readministering the test battery will yield accurate and usable data; Butcher et al 1997).…”