Abstract
The procedure employed by Gilberstadt and Duker (1965) with a Midwestern sample to determine the characteristics of the 8–6 MMPI profile type was replicated with a Southeastern black sample. The cardinal features of paranoid schizophrenia seemed remarkably similar in both groups but significant differences were found in traits, symptoms, and MMPI scale scores. In general, the Southeastern black sample showed a somewhat greater surface manifestation of pathological traits and admitted to more experiences that are viewed in the while culture as odd and bizarre. The differences were interpreted as probably reflecting different baseline personality characteristics between Southeastern blacks and Midwestern whites. The more apparently pathological symptoms and traits in the black population are interpreted as a manifestation of truly adaptive behavior for this subgroup in an aversive social environment.
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