Expert Q&A: Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)

MPQ coauthors John Kamp, PhD, and Martin Sellbom, PhD, answer some frequently asked questions about the newly published Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ).

What were some goals the test authors discussed while updating the MPQ™?

Foremost among our objectives for the 2023 publication of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire™ (MPQ) was to update the norms using new data from a population-representative sample of US adults. We wanted to conduct a thorough psychometric evaluation of the MPQ scales using contemporary samples and methods (e.g., item response theory analyses); through this process, several minor but effective scale revisions took place.

We also wanted to develop item-based Higher-Order scales, which were previously scored using weighted equations with the Primary Trait scales. Finally, we decided to collect data for correlating MPQ scores with a vast array of other personality measures to place the MPQ scales within the context of the contemporary personality assessment space.

What features of the MPQ do you feel are most useful?

Interpretation of the scales is bipolar, so both high and low scores are meaningful. The test manual provides content-based and correlate-based interpretations for both poles of each scale. Among the scales themselves, Absorption is unique among contemporary personality assessment measures in terms of its content and breadth of construct validity demonstrated across many studies. Finally, the MPQ includes validity scales that are both valuable for protocol interpretation in many contexts and lacking among many contemporary personality measures.

How do you see the MPQ further enhancing our understanding of personality assessment?

The MPQ is a very carefully designed measure that operationalizes Auke Tellegen’s personality model. The framework is different from the Big 5 and other personality trait models that dominate the field. No other model places the core emphasis on the 11 primary traits that Tellegen uncovered, so it allows for a more nuanced abstraction of personality than five broader domains.

Can you tell us about some of the more unique research applications of the MPQ?

Because the MPQ was included in the Minnesota Twins Study that began in the late 1970s, the test has been used to address questions about personality and genetics to a more substantial degree than other personality models and measures. Additionally, the construct of absorption is rather unique in personality literature, resulting in an entire subfield concerning this construct based on the MPQ scale.

What are some advantages you see to doing a normal-range personality assessment alongside another measure when developing a therapeutic plan for clients?

A therapy client is more than a collection of symptoms to be treated. Those symptoms are embedded in the client’s individual personality and understanding that personality can be helpful in many ways over the course of therapy. For example, the MPQ provides several insights into the individual’s social proclivities and preferences, which may help steer the therapist toward or away from certain treatment approaches.

How do you feel the MPQ can be used clinically to augment an assessment like the MMPI?

What are some major differences between a “normal-range” personality instrument and the MMPI?

The “normal range” of personality refers to basic personality traits and broad temperaments that are considered dimensional in nature and exist in all individuals to a degree. Unlike psychopathology or “maladaptive” personality, unless extremely high or low, the “normal range” of personality generally does not deviate markedly from the norms and expectations of one’s culture, nor does it lead to significant distress or impairment.

How can the MPQ be used as a strength-finding measure?

Some MPQ scores, low Negative Emotionality, for instance, will be adaptive in most situations as it would signal resilience and emotional stability. Others might be adaptive in some situations and maladaptive in others. For example, high Absorption is likely helpful for an actor or artist. On the other hand, our recent studies relating the MPQ to police officer performance show Absorption to be a negative indicator. Here again, the bipolar interpretation of the scales offers more opportunity for identifying traits that constitute strengths in specific contexts.

What is the best way to map the MPQ scales to the five-factor model used by the NEO, particularly as it relates to concepts around openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism?

The manual contains a lot of data linking the MPQ to the five-factor model. Roughly, albeit imperfectly:

NEM (esp. Stress Reaction) → Neuroticism

PEM → Extraversion

CON (esp. Control) and High Achievement  → Conscientiousness

Absorption (but also low Traditionalism) → Openness to Experience

Aggression (and to lesser degree Alienation)  →  (low) Agreeableness

There has also been research to suggest that the MPQ, NEO, and other measures can be configured to map onto one another through hierarchical structure. At the three-factor level, you essentially have NEM, PEM, CON, whereas at the five-factor level, you have the five-factor model domains.

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Expert Q&A: Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)

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