The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A) and the Rorschach are the two tests used most widely in clinical personality assessment to evaluate personality functioning, current emotional state, and the presence, nature, and severity of psychopathology, as well as to formulate treatment interventions. Psychologists' vigorous interest in and intense loyalty to the Rorschach and MMPI are reflected in the large and still growing theoretical and empirical literature concerning these tests. Given the enduring popularity of these two tests, it is surprising to find that only a small percentage of these numerous studies have examined the relationships between the two.

Both tests provide valuable information about an individual's symptoms, behavior, emotions, interpersonal functioning, self-concept, defenses, and the dynamics underlying their behavior. Although much has been written about each test individually, little has been written about how to use the two tests together even though many psychologists use a battery of tests when conducting personality assessments in clinical practice. The basic premise of this book is that psychologists' armamentarium of assessment techniques can be strengthened by using the MMPI-2 and Rorschach together in a complementary fashion, and that essential information may be lost if one test is used to the exclusion of the other.

The book examines interrelationships between the MMPI-2 and Rorschach on several different levels including empirical and research findings, conceptual relationships, and integrated interpretations using a series of in-depth case presentations. A balance is maintained between the foundation provided by research and by clinical theory for conceptualizing, understanding, and treating patients with a variety of psychological disorders. This volume illustrates the contribution psychological test findings make to clinical decision making and differential diagnosis, and discusses the links between test data, clinical judgment, and DSM-IV.

Reviews

"This is truly a teaching text, carefully composed for both graduate students and professionals. I found myself engrossed in each case, comparing my own formulations with Ganellen's, learning from him, and noting that any readers who are current skeptics about either or both assessment instruments will emerge with new respect for the contemporary use of the Rorschach and the MMPI-2."
-Contemporary Psychology

"...Ganellen [presents] a rationale, strategy, and clinical context for integrating findings from the two most widely used personality assessment instruments [and] has succeeded ...by writing a very useful and practical book...presented in a clear and straightforward manner and provide helpful tips....Ganellen has made an important contribution to the field of personality assessment. He has written a very practical book that can be used by students learning how to generate test-based inferences and to integrate findings from different sources. Journeyman clinicians looking to find a clearly spelled out strategy of how to use these two popular tests in a complementary and synergistic manner will also find great value in Ganellen's well thought-out strategies of test integration and detailed case examples."
-The Menninger Clinic

"Despite the long histories of the MMPI and the Rorschach, there is virtually no empirical research that examines the relationship between these two venerable instruments and limited sources that provide a conceptual framework for such an examination. Dr. Ganellen helps to fill this void by providing a crisp overview of the conceptual and empirical relationships between MMPI-2 and Rorschach variables. His tables summarizing these relationships will be invaluable to the clinician in generating hypotheses about a person's MMPI-2 and Rorschach. These tables will also serve as a springboard for research to validate these relationships. His description of the process for integrating MMPI-2 and Rorschach data is easy to follow, and his discussion of the potential biases in this process is particularly helpful. The extended case examples will be very helpful to the experienced clinician as well as to the graduate student who is learning to interpret and integrate these two instruments."
-Roger L. Greene, PhD
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology

"Ron Ganellen has produced a text that considers one of the most important concerns in contemporary personality assessment: integrating results from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A) and the Rorschach. Beginning with an historical perspective, Ganellen moves to an extensive review of the extant literature in the area. Chapter five contains a number of practical considerations for integrating results from these two tests, especially when the findings appear to be divergent. Ganellen follows with several detailed case studies illustrating the use of existing literature and practical considerations for arriving at a more complete and accurate understanding of an individual by a careful and thoughtful integration of data from the Rorschach and MMPI.

The writing is clear and concise and the author presents fair and balanced coverage of this important area in psychology. This text is a welcome addition to those interested in personality assessment and will be useful for advanced graduate students, interns, and experienced practitioners."
-Bill N. Kinder, PhD
University of South Florida, Editor, Journal of Personality Assessment

"Dr. Ganellen has written a scholarly and very informative book that will be of interest to any clinician who uses psychological tests. The recommendations made in this book are based on a wealth of well-reviewed research data and extensive clinical expertise. By presenting ten complex and very interesting cases, Dr. Ganellen illustrates the various tasks and challenges involved in integrating MMPI-2 and Rorschach results. This book will be of interest and utility to a broad spectrum of clinicians who come from various theoretical backgrounds. It will, no doubt, be used extensively for instruction and as a reference source. I recommend it highly to anyone with interests in personality assessment."
-Yossef S. Ben-Porath, PhD
Kansas State University

"Ron Ganellen has done a masterful job in this first book-length coverage of the complex relationship between the Rorschach and the MMPI. Researchers will appreciate his thoughtful navigation through the intricacies of the Rorschach-MMPI literature. And clinicians will benefit tremendously from the opportunity to look over his shoulder in case presentations that illustrate the productive integration of these widely used--and sometimes diverging--instruments. This was a tough assignment, and Ron Ganellen has succeeded beautifully."
-Philip Erdberg, PhD
Former President, Society for Personality Assessment

Book Information
ISBN 9780805816174
Author Ronald J. Ganellen
Format Hardback
Page Count 362
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 880g