Or how to tell when those Whores of the Court are pulling the wool over your eyes…
We’ve all had them (or are going to have them). Ever go into an office of one of these custody evaluators and have the feeling you have already lost? Many of us moms have. If they aren’t overtly demanding money out of you to have the evaluation “go your way,” they do it covertly, to justify their decisions against moms. How do they do it? By use of the most common psychological testing instrument out there, the MMPI-2. A mom we know, who took YEARS to finally leave her abusive relationship with her violent ex-husband, garnered this on a recent MMPI-2 test for a custody evaluation:
Jennifer’s two highest scales were Scale 5 and 1. Scale 5 is significantly out of normal range. There are no unique descriptors to this combination of scales. However, females who elevate on Scale 5, particularly when the scores are as extreme as they are here, often show disturbed thinking. Ideas of reference are common, and they often feel mistreated and picked on. They tend to be angry and resentful individuals who harbor grudges. Projection is a common defense mechanism, and they tend to project their own characteristics onto others.
At the very least, Jennifer has a paranoid predisposition and is overly sensitive and overly responsive to the reactions of others. She tends to rationalize and blame others for her difficulties, but is suspicious and guarded individual. She is likely to be hostile, resentful, and argumentative. Individuals with this pattern tend to have a poor prognosis in therapy because they basically dislike talking about emotional issues and they do not see anything wrong with themselves. They often express hostility and resentment towards family members.
Pretty scary, huh. This custody evaluator justified the mom lose total custody of her children based on this test. I couldn’t believe my friend tested so poorly, until she showed me the proper assessment of the test:
Summary of Descriptors for Scale 5 - Masculinity-Femininity (Mf): This is not a clinical scale.
High Scale 5 scores for men indicate persons who:
1. may have sexual problems and concerns (if T > 65)
2. lack stereotypical masculine interests
High Scale 5 scores for women indicate persons who:
1. are rejecting a traditional female role
2. have interests that tend to be stereotypical more masculine than feminine
Low Scale 5 scores for men indicate persons who:
1. are presenting themselves as extremely masculine
2. have stereotypical masculine interests
Low Scale 5 scores for women indicate persons who:
1. have many stereotypical feminine interests
2. are likely to derive satisfaction from their roles as spouses and mothers
3. may be traditionally feminine or androgynous
Huh? This didn’t sound anything like the “diagnosis” my friend was given. Reading further down in the assessment text (by Dr. John R. Graham, one of the authors of the MMPI-2):
Summary of Descriptors for Scale 6 - Paranoia (Pa):
Does a person show paranoid trends and how are they expressed? Elevated scores anticipate a tendency to perceive others as either being “on my side” or “against me.” The person with paranoid trends also tends to be rigidly self-righteous and overly sensitive to criticism. As is discussed below, this and Scale 3 are the two most commonly elevated scales among custody litigants. However, the mean score was only 52.4, which is only a small elevation above the standardized mean of 50.
Extreme Elevations (T>70) on scale 6 indicate persons who:
1. May exhibit frankly psychotic behavior (especially if matched with an elevation on scale 8);
2. May have disturbed thinking, delusions of persecution or grandeur.
3. Feel mistreated and resentful.
4. Feel angry and resentful.
5. Harbor grudges.
6. Use projection as a defense mechanism.
7. In psychiatric patients, often receive diagnoses of schizophrenia or paranoid disorder.
Moderate elevations (T = 60-70) on Scale 6 indicate persons who:
1. have a paranoid predisposition
2. tend to be excessively sensitive and overly responsive to the opinions of others
3. feel they are getting a raw deal out of life
4. tend to rationalize and blame others for difficulties
5. are suspicious and guarded
6. have hostility, resentment, and an argumentative manner
7. are moralistic and rigid in their opinions and attitudes
8. overemphasize rationality
9. if women, may describe sadness, withdrawal, and anxiety
10. if women, are seen by others as emotionally unstable and moody
11. have poor prognosis for therapy
12. do not like to talk about emotional problems
13. rationalize excessively in therapy
14. have difficulty establishing rapport with therapists
15. in therapy reveal hostility and resentment toward family members
Sooooooooo, the custody evaluator gave her the wrong assessment. He gave her the assessment for Scale 6. Jennifer scored in the low 70’s for Scale 5 (and in the 40’s for Scale 6), and her ex scored in the 60’s for Scale 6. His assessment:
Brad’s two highest scales are Scales 6 and 0. Again, there are no unique descriptors to this pattern, but when people elevate on Scale 6, particularly with a mild elevation, they tend to be affectionate, sentimental, soft-hearted, peaceable, and generous. They tend to be cooperative and fairly frank and open in their presentations. They have a wide range of interests, and are often seen as energetic and industrious, and show initiative.
I didn’t see any of these descriptions in Scale 6 above, but the custody evaluator used this “writeup” as justification for the father to get full custody.
Never, never, ever take anything for granted when a Whore of the Court gets involved. Research…check out what the truth is. This is a summary for what the content scales consist of on the MMPI-2:
MMPI- II: SCALE SUMMARY
Scale Name
Scale Abbreviation
Scale No.
Average Scores
Custody Cases
Average Scores Airline Pilots Job Application
L - Elevated on Fake Good Profile
Nickname - Lying Scale
Validity Scale
56.0
58
K - Elevated on Fake Good Profile
Subtle Defensiveness
Validity Scale
58.7
66
F - Depressed on Fake Good Profile
Infrequency Scale
Nickname: Fake Bad Scale
Validity Scale
44.7
41
Hypochondriasis
Hs
1
Below 50
49
Depression
D
2
Below 50
42
Hysteria
Hy
3
52.3
52
Psychopathic Deviate - (Rebelliousness)
Pd
4
50.9
49
*Masculinity-Femininity
Mf
5
52.4
Paranoia
Pa
6
Below 50
46
Psychasthenia
Pretrial conference
7
Below 50
48
Schizophrenia
Sc
8
Below 50
46
Hypomania
Ma
9
Below 50
45
Overcontrolled Hostility
OH - Subscale Score
60
40
*Social Introversion
Si
0
* Italics: Dimension of Personality / Not Clinical Scale
Also, please visit this website to look further into what each scale assessment is. The references at the top of the page are excellent also, please get a copy of them if you see problems with your assessment. Don’t let your Whore of the Court do this to any of you.
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