ABSTRACT
Self-report personality assessment can be influenced by the perceived need of some individuals to present themselves in a favorable light. Some test takers deny minor problems or faults that most people recognize and are willing to endorse on personality scales. This overly virtuous response set produces a different pattern of MMPI scores than the typical performance of nonclinical, or “normal,” subjects who endorse the items in a straightforward, honest manner. Psychologists conducting personnel screening of family custody evaluations—settings that have a high percentage of virtue claimants—are often faced with MMPI-2 profiles that are viewed as extremely defensive and with low information presented through the clinical scale scores.
