Explanations of crime and anti- social behaviour: Personality

Question 1

What is Eysenck’s personality?

Answer 1

The idea is that we are born with some key biological differences and that criminal behaviour results from a failure to learn that certain immature tendencies need to be controlled. Certain traits more likely to lend themselves to antisocial behaviour and certain personality types are less susceptible to conditioning.
Combines biological and social factors.
Personality is determined by biological constitution, which, in turn, is determined by genes.
Genetic factors exert their effects under the influence of environmental/social factors.

Question 2

What are the 2 key dimensions of personality?

Answer 2

Neuroticism
Extroversion

Question 3

What does Neuroticism mean?

Answer 3

Biological predisposition to respond physiologically to a stressful situation e.g. emotionally (crying, anger)
Neurotic individuals are nervy and anxious.
Their general instability means they are difficult to predict

Question 4

What does extroversion mean?

Answer 4

The term extroversion describes an aspect of a personality that is often characterized by expressive and outgoing patterns of behaviour.
The amount of stimulation an individual needs from their environment in order to develop a conscience

Question 5

What type of person is an introvert?

Answer 5

A quiet person, reserved and distant except to intimate friends.

Question 6

What type of person is an extrovert?

Answer 6

Sociable, needs to have people to talk to. Craves excitement.

Question 7

If someone has a high neuroticism score how are they likely to feel?

Answer 7

Anxious, moody, frequently depressed, sleep badly, over emotional

Question 8

If someone has a low neuroticism score how are they likely to feel?

Answer 8

Stable, calm, even tempered, controlled, not easily upset

Question 9

What are PEN scores?

Answer 9

Refers to types as personality dimensions along which everyone can be places.
Psychoticism (P)
Introversion- Extroversion (E)
Neuroticism- Stability (N)

Question 10

What is someone with a high PEN score likely to act?

Answer 10

Cold, uncaring, solitary and aggressive

Question 11

What was Eysenck’s experiment?

Answer 11

156 prisoners, age range 18-38. Classified prisoners into those who had ‘violent’ crimes ‘property’ crimes and ‘fraud’ crimes. ‘Inadequates’ – those with a lot of convictions over a short time but not violent crimes or robbery. ‘Residual’ – prisoners who did not fit other categories. Used EPQ as well as physical measures such as EEG, eye blink and skin conductance

Question 12

Based off people’s crimes what were their PEN scores?

Answer 12

Fraud criminals = low P score
Violent and property criminals = low N scores, high E scores
Residual and Inadequate = high N scores, low E scores
Concludes criminal behaviour could be predicted by personality type

Question 13

What did Smith et al found out about sensational seekers?

Answer 13

Found sensation seekers have an excitable central nervous system, being more aroused and arousable. This compromises Eysenck’s proposal that criminal behaviour is the result of stimulus seeking by extroverts in order to achieve an optimum level of stimulation.

Question 14

What did Passingham dicscover when he compared prisoners with non criminals?

Answer 14

He compared prisoners with non-criminals have found that the criminals score more highly on the scales of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism as measure on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Noted that control group were not matched with the criminals on relevant variables such as socioeconomic class, cultural background and intelligence

Question 15

When does the socialisation process happen?

Answer 15

In childhood
A child is conditioned (socialised)
Child learns sense of right and wrong
Child avoids behaviour which leads to punishment
Child controls own impulses

Question 16

How does the biological developement explain intoverts and extroverts?

Answer 16

Introverts are easier to condition and so more likely to do as they are told when young and care about approval from society when adults.
The extrovert’s need for stimulation and new and exciting experiences is more likely to lead them into conflict with the law. They are more likely to engage in criminal activities which bring excitement, e.g. joy riding. Therefore it would be expected to find that most criminals are extroverts.

Question 17

What is a negative to Eysenck’s theory of personality?

Answer 17

The idea that there is only one type of personality.
The 5 factor model accepts Eysenck’s concepts of extraversion and introversion, but also adds oppenness, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Of these, low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness are related to offending. Other researchers have also claimed that that impulsivity is a better predictor for anit social behaviour.
Suggests that the criminal personality may be more complicated that Eysencks suggested.

Question 18

What is the ARAS?

Answer 18

The ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) balances excitation and inhibition processes in order to maintain an optimum level of arousal.

Question 19

What happens if the CNS is under aroused due to the ARAS?

Answer 19

If the CNS is under aroused due to the ARAS strongly inhibiting incoming sensations, it can be said the person has poor conditioning and will act in ways to increase the arousal, therefore looks for excitement. Eysenck termed this type of person an extrovert.

Question 20

What happens if the CNS is over aroused?

Answer 20

If the CNS is over aroused due to a lack of inhibition from the ARAS, this too is a sign of poor conditioning and the person will find ways to reduce this, these types are called introverts.