Basic Personality Inventory (BPI)
Douglas N. Jackson, Ph.D.

This exciting new scale answers the need for a brief but comprehensive measure of personality and psychopathology that is easy to score and interpret. Developed according to modern methods of test construction, the BPI solves many of the problems that have characterized personality assessment in the past. It is a relatively short scale, containing only 240 items, as opposed to the 567-item MMPI-2. The BPI effectively discriminates between various kinds of personality dysfunction in both normal and pathological populations. The BPI:

• is easy to administer and score in just a few minutes
• can be individually or group administered
• has separate male and female norms for adults and adolescents
• has norms for special populations

Description
 
The BPI is a self-report inventory composed of true-false items focusing on activities, interests, and behaviors. These items cover 12 clinical scales which measure distinct components of psychopathology:

• Hypochondriasis
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Thinking Disorder
• Denial
• Impulse Expression
• Interpersonal Problems
• Social Introversion
• Alienation
• Self-Depreciation
• Persecutory Ideas
• Deviation

Uses
 
The BPI can be used for:

• identifying sources of maladjustment and personal strengths
• assessing both “Normal” and Psychiatric populations
• general personality assessment
• diagnosis and treatment planning in clinics, hospitals, and counseling centers
• personnel screening in business and industry
• research on behavioral and psychological problems

Administrative Information
 
The BPI is self administering. The average adult takes about 35 minutes to complete the BPI. The BPI can be used with adults and adolescents over the age of 12. The BPI items are written at the fifth grade level.