Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory

What are the main differences between the MAPI and the MACI tests?

The MACI test was specifically designed to evaluate adolescents with clinical symptoms, and the normative population consists of adolescents in a variety of clinical settings. The MAPI test was designed to identify adolescent personality characteristics and was normed primarily on individuals in settings where clinical problems were not assumed. The MACI test was published after the MAPI and is correlated with the more-recent version of the DSM, the DSM-IV. The MAPI test is correlated with the DSM-III-R.

Is the MAPI instrument appropriate for use with normal adolescents?

Yes. Eighty-three percent of the normative population is junior and senior high school students in public and parochial settings.

Will recording the wrong sex make a difference on the profile?

Yes, because the MAPI instrument has separate male and female norms.

Will recording the wrong age make a difference on the profile?

Yes. There are two age ranges in the normative group, 13-15 and 16-18. Each age range has its own set of male and female norms. If the age falls outside of the relevant age range, the program will default to the norms closest to the client's recorded age. If the age is omitted, the default is 13-15.

How can a MAPI instrument be invalid if there are less that 10 omissions?

Check Scales 21 (Reliability) and 22 (Validity). If the client answered True to two or more items from Scale 21 or one from Scale 22, the report is invalid. Or if the client answered True to two or more items on Scale 22, the report is invalid.

Why is the MAPI instrument invalid because Scales 1-8 are all less than 64 BR?

These scores indicate that the adolescent responded to the items with a consistent pattern of nondisclosure. The presence of defensiveness or denial should be evaluated. It is also possible, but very unlikely, that the adolescent is being honest and does not have anything significant to report.