BASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY

DOUGLAS N. JACKSON, PH.D.

Description

The BPI is a 12 scale, 240 item true-false

personality inventory measuring relatively
differentiated component of psychopathology.
These 240 statements describe activities, interests,
and characteristic behaviour.
The 12 scale refer to dimensions of personality
having broad import for an individual’s
functioning both, intraphysically and
interpersonally. Although, BPI scale scores
represent important information to aid in the
diagnosis of psychopathology, scale
Names were chosen to minimize the possibility
of prejudging a person in terms of a particular
psychiatric category.
The 12 Scales are:
 Hypochondriasis
 Depression
 Denial
 Interpersonal Problems
 Alienation
 Persecutory Ideas
Anxiety
Thinking Disorder
Impulse Expression
Social Introversion
Self Depreciation
Deviation
The scales can be organized into six broad
categories.
A. Measures of Inadequate or Deviant
Socialization and Impulse
 Interpersonal Problems
 Alienation
 Impulse Expression

B. Measures of Mood and Personal/ Emotional

Adjustment
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Hypochondriasis

C. Measures of Cognitive Functioning

• Persecutory Ideas
• Thinking Disorder

D. Measures of Self Perception and Sociability

• Self Depreciation
 Social Introversion
E. Measure of Critical Deviant Behaviours
 Deviation

F. Measure of Test Taking Style

 Denial

Administration

The paper-and –pencil form of the BPI is

largely self administering, with the
240questions printed in a reusable booklet.
can be administered either individually or in supervised
groups.
Instructions to be read aloud are as follows:
In your BPI booklet you will find a series of statements which
people might use to describe themselves. Read each statement
and decide wether or not it describes you. Then indicate your
answer on the separate answer sheets. If you agree with a
statement or decide that it does describe you, answer TRUE.
If you disagree with a statement or feel that it is not
descriptive of you, answer FALSE. In marking your answers
on the answer sheet, be sure that the number of the statement
you have just read is the same as the number on the answer
sheet. Answer every statement either true or false, even if you
are not completely sure of your answer.
Reliability
Internal consistency reliabilities for the BPI are routinely found
to be acceptable. In one large psychiatric sample (N=812),KR20
coefficients ranged between .66 and .86 (median=.76). A group of
normal adults (N=379) produced values ranging fro .61 to .83
(median=.70), and a college sample (N=52) gave coefficients
ranging from .61 to .86 (median=.76). Test-retest reliabilities are
similarly acceptable. Two studies (N=123 and 168), each with
retest intervals of one month, gave a combined range of .62 to .
87(median=.77). All told these values indicate appreciable and
stable reliabilities for BPI scale scores.
Validity
The BPI scales have demonstrated sizable correlations with other
self-report measures intended to assess the same dimensions of
psychopathology. For example, in a study of 235 substance
abusers, BPI-Hypochondriasis correlated .73 with MMPI-
Hypochondriasis. Other convergences were .55 for BPI-Depression
and MMPI-Depression, .62 for BPI-Thinking Disorder and MMPI
–Schizophrenia, and .58 for BPI-Social Introversion. BPI validities
involving other clinical batteries (e.g. the Millon Clinical
Multiaxial Inventory) are similarly acceptable. Correlations
between BPI scales and clinical ratings (by others) on like
dimensions provide further support. In a study o 112 psychiatric
patients, such correlations ranged from .32 to .51 (mean=.40),
which compares favourably to an average correlation of .12
between scales and ratings on irrelevant dimensions. Overall, such
independent research strongly supports the BPI’s validity.
Sample Questions/ Items

Item number 1. It’s easy for me to keep fit and healthy.

Item number 8. I never have visions in which imaginary people or things appear.
Item number 34. I like to speak to strangers.
Item number 59. I am no good to anyone.
Item number 61. My skin if often red and inflamed.
Item number 88. My family life has been happy and free of arguments.
Item number 97. I seldom have cough or sore throat.
Item number 118. I am happier alone than when with others.
Item number 140. I often see shadows and think they are people or animals.
Item number 163. I remain calm even in the most trying situations.


Norms
Separate adult (N=1419) and
adolescent (N= 2210) norms are
reported in the manual. Adult norms
are based on a North American sample
using comparisons with U.S. census
data.
Scoring

Scoring the BPI hand-scored is an easy clerical task

requiring a single template. Because the BPI is
organized so that the items keyed on the same scale are
arranged into vertical columns on the answer sheet, all
that necessary after aligning the template to the
orientation marks in the corners of the answer sheet is
to count in the appropriate columns the number of
items that a respondent has answered the keyed
direction. The total is then recorded in the space at the
bottom of the answer sheet labelled with the
abbreviation of the scale. After scoring all 12 scales, the
scores from
The answer sheet should be transferred to the
corresponding boxes on the profile sheet. Profiles
based on separate male and female adult norms are
printed on the alternate sides of the profile sheet. After
recording the raw numerical scores on the profile
sheet these scores may be plotted on the profile.
Interpretation
There are several common patterns of scale elevation.
For example, when the scales that are related to an
individual’s affective state, such as Depression, Social
Introversion, and Self-Depreciation, occur together , a
more pronounced and well-defined problem area is
indicated. Individuals whose behaviour
Causes conflict with the law and social
convention tend to have elevated scores on
Interpersonal Problems, Alienation and Impulse
Expression. When individuals obtain high scores
on these three scales without, any elevation on
Anxiety, Depression or Self Depreciation, it
suggests that the individual is fairly comfortable
with a deviant lifestyle and is not likely to
request into this pattern of behaviour.
A low score on many BPI scales can usually be
considered a positive sign.