What To Expect In Psychological Testing Child Custody

By Nancy Reed


It is very important to find out in great detail how fit a person is to be a parent when they are in this type of a situation. Psychological testing child custody is quite common, and a person in this situation will often find him or herself seen by more than one professional. This is not a cause for alarm, as it is just a way of making sure that enough information can be gathered.

There are a number of ways that individuals are tested in these abilities, and one of the most common ones is called Multiphasic Personality Inventory, which can be shortened to MMPI-2. The goal that the designers of this test had in mind was to pinpoint any psychological disorders and see how up to snuff the person's cognitive skills are. However, this test alone can't determine who's the better parent.

Some of the tests that the most people know about are actually now outdated and not used as much anymore. There are still some who use the Rorschach Inkblot test which is depicted a lot in popular culture. The criticism that this method has received has led people to agree that it is too subjective to work.

The MCMMI-3 is another popular way to see how fit a person might be in their abilities to be a parent. This one is looking for any mental disorders that may be existing in the individual. When a person participates in this, he or she will answer 175 questions by indicating either true or false.

There are a number of tests similar to the Rorschach that involve the person being shown certain things and being asked to talk about what they have seen. This is because this can be a very useful and revealing way to glean information about someone. In the TAT, which stands for Thematic Apperception Test, the person will look at pictures of people and be asked to describe them.

Some tests like the Bricklin Perceptual Scales, or BPS, were designed exactly for these types of situations. Instead of focusing on the parent, this one instead turns to the children who are asked questions about the parents in the form of drawing pictures and telling stories. Although these can be great ways to get into a kid's head, its validity is debated.

There is always something to criticism about a particular rating system or method for finding out information about these things, and the ASPECT is no different. This is one method, however, that uses a lot of different techniques to try to be as accurate as possible. In it, one can expect to have an IQ test, the MMPI-2, draw pictures, and be interviewed.

These things should be seen more as tools than anything else, and in ways, they are sort of short cuts to trying to get to the certain information. Interviews are very revealing things and are often what people will look at more. These interviews can go anywhere from the parent to the child, to anyone you know who is not biased.




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