Criminal Personality Theory Flashcards
what is the criminal personality theory
it states that criminal behaviour relates to the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS). Three personality types were associated with criminal behaviour; extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.
what is criminal personality
a set of relatively fixed traits associated with people who commit crimes
what is genetic inheritance
when genetic information is passed on from parents to child through the pairing of chromosomes at conception
what is extraversion
a trait measuring how out-going an individual is
what is neuroticism
a trait measuring how anxious an individual is
what is psychoticism
a trait measuring how impulsive and aggressive an individual is
how do people who score high on extraversion act like
they are out-going. sociable and confident. At the end of the opposite end is introversion. Introverted people tend to be quiet, shy and unassertive. It is possible to have a balance between these two extremes
how do people who score high on neuroticism act like
they are anxious, angry and prone to feeling guilt. At the opposite end is stability. Stable people tend to be calm, even-tempered and not easily stressed. It is possible to have a balance between these two extremes
how do people who score high on psychoticism act like
they are impulsive, aggressive and selfish. At the opposite end is high impulse control. People in control of their impulses tend to be warm, considerate and conscientious. It is possible to have a balance between these two extremes
according to Eysenck’s theory, who will score highly on his three scales, extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism
individuals with a criminal personality
cause of extraversion
individuals with extraversion have an under-aroused cerebral cortex as the stimuli is restricted by the reticular activation system (RAS), which is located in the central nervous system (CNS). The cerebral cortex is hungry for stimulation, which can be gained through risky, lawless behaviour.
Extroverts also have a stronger domaine reward system, meaning that they respond more positively to reinforcers like sex and money, to the point where they may need to acquire them illegally.
what is the reticular activation system
a neural network that mediates consciousness and alertness, it is part of the brain stem that links the brain and spinal cord and regulates the stimuli sent to the cerebral cortex
what is the cerebral cortex
the outer layer of the brain, which is important for conscious awareness
what is the central nervous sytem
a system consisting of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out
what is the dopamine reward system
a neural network that is responsible for people experiencing pleasure
cause of neuroticism
Neuroticism is related to the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is activated during emotion-inducing situations and regulates the activity of the brain’s limbic system. the ANS is over-aroused in neurotics, leading to higher levels of violence (a behaviour that is controlled by the limbic system)
what is the autonomic nervous sytem
the system responsible for unconscious control of the body’s internal organs
what is the limbic system
a neural network that controls emotional expression
cause of psychoticism
it is the result of an excess of dopaminergic neurons, which cause over-production of dopamine by the nervous system. the excess of dopamine leads to less inhibition of impulses in the brain during synaptic transmission
what is synaptic transmission
the process where neurotransmitters are released by a presynaptic neuron and bind to and activate the receptors of postsynaptic neuron
what are dopaminergic neurons
nerve cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine
what does high levels of extraversion and neuroticism cause to people
they are difficult to condition. People who are naturally stable and introverted learn the association between performing a criminal or anti-social act and its negative outcomes more easily and avoids committing them in the future.
what will children with higher levels of extraversion and neuroticism be like
they will be more resistant to early socialisation in terms of learning moral behaviour. Parents or agents of socialisation will need to work harder to divert their children away from the ‘thrill’ of crime.
what is condition
Learning by association and consequence
what is early socialisation
the process where young children are conditioned to accept the norms and values of their family and wider society
what occupations are extroverts and neurotic children more likely to end up in
politicians and business people, they make big decision and take risks, feeding their pleasure-seeking behaviour. Business people may also relieve their anxiety by continually finding ways of making profit.
criticisms of criminal personality theory 1
it is ignoring individual differences. Rather than emphasising the uniqueness of people, he tried to place them in broad categories. Critics argue it is wrong to ‘lump together’ neurotic extroverts (the most likely criminals) and assume they have similar reasons for turning to crime.
criticisms of criminal personality theory 2
Theory merely identifies certain characteristics that may link to criminality. it does not inform us why individuals commit criminal acts. E.g: The theory tells us that rapists are extrovert, neurotic and psychotic but it does not explain why they rape.
criticisms of criminal personality theory 3
it is too deterministic, the theory suggests that people are born with their personality type and that the chance of them becoming criminals is driven by biology. It makes people think that crime is out of their control and doesn’t let them taking responsibility for their actions
criticisms of criminal personality theory 4
Although Eysenck considers both nature and nurture in his explanation, some critics say that there isn’t enough emphasis on nurture. Rather than saying how they are naturally hard to condition, critics say that we should focus on how we can try to condition this personality type. With the right kind of environment, these people do not have to turn to crime as much as they do
criticisms of criminal personality theory 5
with such a range of crimes, it seems unlikely that criminals share a similar personality. Even if we accept Eysenck’s broad personality types, it is hard to accept that a person who spontaneously robs people in the street has the same kind of personality characteristics as the person who carefully plans to defraud others. In his later works, Eysenck himself suggests that violent people may be more stable than neurotic.
