Tim writes:

(* MMPI is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index test, which sounds like the test described here. It has a couple of thousand of these questions. Without defending the analytical powers of this test, let me say that the intent is psychological, not political. The famoous questions about believing in God, having homosexual experiences, washing one's hands, and so on, are devised by shrinks, not designed to ferret out atheists and homos. The MMPI has been in wide use since the 1950s, though it's use is declining as people file lawsuits over it.)

It should also be noted that the MMPI is designed to diagnose abnormal personalities, while the California Personality Inventory (CPI) is designed to diagnose more or less normal personality traits. It seems that companies indiscriminately giving the MMPI to individuals without suspision of neurotic/ psychotic tendencies would open themselves up for a solid thumping in court. P.S. - I noticed a book on the statistical basis of the MMPI in the psychology section of Border's Bookstore in Tysons Corner, VA, a few months ago. If there's interest, I could look for a citation on my next trip there. Curtis D. Frye cfrye@ciis.mitre.org "If you think I speak for MITRE, I'll tell you how much they pay me and make you feel foolish."