Is the Lüscher Test Free from Motivational Distortions? A Check Using the MMPI Validity Scales

Objective: the study aimed to assess the degree to which the 8-color Lüscher test is free from motivational distortions by comparing its formal indicators with the MMPI validity scales (L, F, and K). Material and methods: The results of a survey of personnel of two nuclear industry enterprises operating in normal mode worked under normal conditions (groups “Norm-1” and “Norm-2”, with 108 and 92 individuals, respectively) were supplemented by archival data obtained during the survey of personnel at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant under post-accident stressors in October and November 1987 (group «Stress», 157 individuals). The article compares the indicators of the second choice of the eight-color Lüscher test with the validity scales (L, F, and K) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), adapted Russian-language version. The study tested the following hypotheses: 1. The order of card selection in the short Lüscher test is not associated with the values obtained on the MMPI validity scales. 2. Correlation patterns can be influenced by the personnel’s working conditions, namely the impact of chronic stressors during the liquidation of the consequences of a large-scale radiation accident. Hypothesis testing methods: Spearman’s ρ, multiple comparisons were corrected using the FDR (False Discovery Rate, the Benjamini–Hochberg method). Results: for the “Norm-2” group, consistent moderate associations (after FDR correction) were found between Lüscher test indicators: a) preference for the green color with all MMPI validity scales (positive with L and K scales and negative with the F scale) and b) a negative association of “compensation” with the MMPI L and K scales, and positive – with F scale. At the same time, no significant relationships were found between the Lüscher test indicators and the MMPI validity scales in the “Norm-1” and “Stress” groups. Conclusion: The results of the study challenge the thesis of the complete independence of the Lüscher test from motivational distortions. Apparently, the interpretation of color preferences should consider the context of self-presentation, especially in situations that the subjects perceive as expert evaluations. It also cannot be ruled out that the green color and the validity scales are indirectly linked by some extraneous factor, for example, passive-defensive tendencies, which, according to some authors, are characteristic of individuals preferring this color, on the one hand, and are reflected in the values on the MMPI L, F, and K scales, on the other. However, this hypothesis does not explain the relationship between the MMPI validity scales and the Lüscher’s complex indicator “compensation”, which is not directly related to the choice of the green color. Authors interpret associations, not causal effects, findings may reflect context-dependent self-presentation. The second hypothesis about the possible influence of the personnel’s working conditions on the relationship between the MMPI validity scales and the Lüscher test indicators was also not confirmed. The study also demonstrated the feasibility of using the MMPI reliability scales to assess the influence of motivational distortions on the parameters of other psychodiagnostic tests, including projective and newly developed ones.