Multiphasic Questionnaire by H N Murthy

The Multiphasic Questionnaire (MPQ), developed by Dr. Hosur Narayana Murthy at the National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), is a self-administered tool standardized for
the Indian clinical population. It draws inspiration from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory (MMPI), which was created by Stark Hathway and J. C. McKinley in 1943 at the University
of Minnesota Hospital to aid in psychiatric diagnosis.

The MPQ is termed 'multiphasic' because it is designed to detect a range of psychiatric and
pathological problems. It comprises 100 items distributed across seven clinical scales and one validity
scale, mirroring the structure of the MMPI, which contains 567 items, 10 clinical scales, and 7 validity
scales. The MPQ is intended for use with individuals aged 16 to 84 years and serves as a diagnostic
tool to assist in clarifying diagnoses and assessing personality.

Clinical Scales of the MPQ:

- Anxiety Scale (19 Items): Measures symptoms of anxiety.

- Hysteria Scale (8 Items): Assesses unconscious use of physical and mental symptoms to avoid
conflicts and responsibilities, with an elevated scale indicating a reaction to stress by developing
physical symptoms.

- Paranoid Scale (18 Items): Evaluates abnormal suspiciousness, delusions of grandeur, and
persecution, with an elevated scale suggesting excessive suspicion, hostility, argumentativeness, and
guardedness.

- Schizophrenia Scale (20 Items): Looks for bizarre, unusual thoughts or behavior, social alienation,
and peculiar perceptions, with an elevated scale indicating psychotic behavior, disorganization,
disorientation, confusion, withdrawal, hallucinations, and delusions.

- Manic Scale (16 Items): Measures elated unstable mood, psychomotor excitement, and flight of
ideas, with an elevated scale reflecting emotional excitement, hyperactivity, agitation, and flight of
ideas.

- Psychopathic Deviance Scale (34 Items): Assesses repeated disregard for social customs,
emotional shallowness, and inability to learn from experiences, with an elevated scale indicating
antisocial behavior and difficulty adhering to social standards.

- Depression Scale (14 Items): Measures clinical depression, with an elevated scale indicating
extreme pessimism, hopelessness, and slowing of thought and actions.

Validity Scale:

- K Scale: Acts as a correction scale, suggesting defensiveness in admitting certain problems, where
a high K score indicates an attempt to 'fake good,' and a low score suggests a deliberate attempt to
'fake bad.'

The MPQ is a comprehensive tool that reflects Dr. Murthy's efforts to adapt and contextualize the
principles of the MMPI for the Indian clinical setting, providing a culturally relevant instrument for
psychological assessment and diagnosis.
Problem: to explore the psychological profiles of participants by examining their answers to the
Multiphasic Questionnaire (MPQ)

Plan: The plan involves administering the MPQ to a sample of individuals, scoring their responses,
and analyzing the results to determine the presence and severity of clinical symptoms.

Materials:

1. MPQ Questionnaire
2. Writing materials
3. Scoring key

Procedure:

Multiphasic Questionnaire (MPQ) are presented to participants with the aim of understanding their
personal interests and attitudes. It is emphasized that the MPQ is not a measure of intelligence, and
as such, there are no correct or incorrect responses. Participants are instructed to encircle the letter
“T” adjacent to each statement they find to be true about themselves, and similarly, to encircle the
letter “F” for statements they consider to be false. This method ensures that the participant’s
responses are reflective of their genuine self-perceptions and experiences.

Upon completion of the Multiphasic Questionnaire (MPQ), participants are requested to return their
answer sheets to the administrator. The collected sheets are then meticulously scored and
interpreted using the designated scoring key.

Instructions:

Seat the subject comfortably and give the following instructions: “The following statements are
intended to indicate your interests and attitudes. This is not an intelligence test and there are no
right and wrong answers. Draw a circle around "T" if the corresponding statement is true and around
“F” if it is false. There is no time limit, finish it as soon as possible”

Scoring and analysis of results:

Score and interpret the questionnaire using the MPQ manual

The MPQ includes a set of items with a direction of scoring indicated for each. The scoring method
involves assigning values to responses and summing them to obtain a total score for each clinical
scale.

Analysis of Results The analysis involves comparing the scores of the clinical scales against
established cut-off points to differentiate between normal subjects and those with clinical
conditions

Points for Discussion:

 Discuss findings in the context of psychological theories.

 Identify patterns or trends in both the individual and group.
 Consider implications for mental health and well-being.