Report On The Mmpi
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The use of psychological tests for the purpose of hiring, promotion or other HR decisions can be justified only in certain situations, such as when hiring people to positions in which they could put the safety of other people in danger. Certain positions, for example firefighters, doctors, judges or politicians in which the workers acquire a large amount of responsibility and also undertake the risk of hurting someone, are the type of positions which should require the MMPI assessment. However, one can claim that administering the MMPI to any job position is wrong because it is invading the peoples privacy.
Using psychological tests, such as the MMPI, in the hiring process is a reasonable move for most companies because it allows them to gain more information about an applicant than they probably need. Information about the applicant which would under normal circumstances be irrelevant can then be used as a reason to not hire the applicant even though it is obvious that he/she meets the required criteria for the job and has the potential to be a good worker.
The only law in the United States which administering a psychological test in the hiring process could violate is the ADA (Americans with Disabilities). However, this would only be applicable if the applicant could prove that he was not hired because of one of his disabilities which would not prevent him to carry out his job. A company has the right to administer any psychological test, including the MMPI in order to find out about an applicant what they need to know. This right becomes an obvious issue which could endanger the employees rights when the employer finds out about the applicant much more than is needed.
The MMPI-2 is known to be the most accurate test to measure the personality of anyone who is capable of taking the test (it is written at an 8th grade level). Since there is lots of time and money invested in making the test as accurate as possible, the answers to the hundreds of questions one gives can be thoroughly analyzed. It is also very difficult to fake the test because the test can detect such an attempt.
The MMPI-2, which is the newer version of the MMPI, should only be used to make sure that people with mental problems do not receive positions in which they could endanger the lives of other people. Graham says “some sensitive occupations,” including “those of air traffic controller, airline pilot, police officer, fire fighter and nuclear power plant operator,” which he believes would justify the use of the MMPI-2. However, he immediately says, “Routine use of the MMPI-2 for personnel selection is not recommended.” (Bobgan, 92). Graham makes a good point because he realizes that testing people for positions where it is not considered necessary (ex. plumber) would be considered invading the privacy of this person.
Police officers are people who protect the law of a state and also people who protect the citizens of the country. Police officers are equipped with guns and other weapons which could do severe harm to a person. Additionally, police officers are often put in situations where they have to make quick and crucial decisions. These decisions, which they are trained to make, often have an effect on the lives of others. For example, if a police officer is threatened by a citizen with a weapon, he must make the right decision on how he should act within a few seconds. This decision is not always the same since it depends mostly on the setting but also on the individuals appearance and level of seriousness. Your browser may not support display of this image.
Fire fighters are also people who serve the community while putting their own lives in danger. Even though they get intensive training, they have to be mentally stable because any given day they could get in a situation where they put their own life in danger to save someone else. In that situation, they must remain calm and make the right decisions based on all the given variables. However, if a fire fighter was suffering from hysteria then it would be rather difficult to make a decision like this in a stressful situation.
An airline pilot is in control of a huge plane which can be carrying hundreds of people. This is also another example of a job in which it would be reasonable to administer