ac 2.2 + 3.2 - psychological theory (individualistic)

Question 1

what is Eysenck’s theory?

Answer 1

he said that everyone’s character is made up of a collection of stable features that direct behaviour in different situations. he believed that certain personality types are more likely to commit crime.he based this theory on the analysis of responses to. personality test called the Eysenck personality inventory. he also said that variations in the dimensions the test examined were a result of the individuals nervous system

Question 2

what was the PEN personality?

Answer 2

P: psychoticism, E: extraversion, N: neuroticism. Eysenck said that these factors were influenced by biology and could explain criminality

Question 3

what does the term extraversion mean?

Answer 3

extroverts are sociable and crave excitement and change, this also means that they can become bored easily. they tend to be impulsive, take risks and be thrill seekers

Question 4

what does the term neuroticism mean?

Answer 4

someone in high neuroticism will be unstable and prone to overreacting to and they may be quicker to feel emotions like anger, fear and worrying. they are overly emotional and find it difficult to calm down when upset

Question 5

what does the term psychoticism stand for?

Answer 5

people with high psychoticism tend to lack in empathy, be cruel, are a loner, and will be aggressive and troublesome

Question 6

strengths of Eysenck’s theory

Answer 6

• a strength is that there is supports from Rushton and Christjohn. they compared PEN scores with self-reports of delinquency in students and found that those who reported higher levels of delinquency also scored higher on PEN. therefore, this adds credibility do Eysenck’s theory that personality is a key factor of criminality.
• a strength is that Eysenck’s theory is holistic. it takes into account both nature and nurture factors, e.g. nervous system and also social factors. therefore, this theory allows us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of criminal behaviour.

Question 7

weaknesses of Eyseck’s theory

Answer 7

• a weakness is that personality changes over time. personality isn’t as stable as Eysenck’s theory proposes and can be situation specific, something which he failed to consider. therefore, the credibility of this theory for predicting criminality is criticised.
• a weakness is that Eysenck’s research only included convicted offenders. this fails to take into account offenders who get away with committing crime and only looks at a specific ‘type’ of criminality. therefore, this may be a limited explanation of criminality as it may not be generalisable to the wider population of them.
• a weakness is that Eysenck used a self-report method (questionnaires). people may have shown social desirability when answering questions and not have been honest. therefore, this reduces the validity of of the findings for how personal it influences criminality.