An item analysis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (M
MPI) was conducted to develop questionnaires that best discriminated (
a) individuals who ever smoked versus those who never smoked and (b) e
x-smokers from current smokers. The analyses were based on a sample of
subjects who took the MMPI during 1964-1967 and reported their smokin
g status during 1987. Although no items distinguished individuals who
quit versus continued to smoke, several items discriminated people who
ever smoked from nonsmokers. These items formed two factors: Extraver
sion and Unconventionalism. These results provide support for the impo
rtance of extraversion, impulsivity, and antisocial tendencies as pers
onality predictors of smoking initiation. The utility of this MMPI sca
le is discussed.