Eyesecks Theory Of Criminal Personality

Question 1

What is Eysenck theory

Answer 1

• A personality’s made up of certain traits, level of those traits as determines their personality’s
• proposed that the predisposition to certain traits such as criminal behaviour are biologically determined by the arousal in a person arousal in a persons central and autonomic nervous system
• suggest biological bias to criminal behaviour

Question 2

How can traits that determines personality be measured

Answer 2

Eysencks personality inventory (EPI)

Question 3

What are people mores likely to score on EPI if they commit crimes

Answer 3

High in all 3 personality scale

Question 4

Name all 3 personality scales

Answer 4

• extraversion
• neuroticism
• psychoticism

Question 5

Extraversion

Answer 5

• extroverts are sociable, impulsive, expressive and risk taking
• high levels due to under-active CNS and ANS the fore they refer environmental simulation to feel excitement thus committing crime for thrill

Question 6

Neuroticism

Answer 6

• High level tend to be nervous anxious and obsessed
• over active ANS and CNS put them in an emotional state when committing a crime explains crimes of passion

Question 7

Psychoticism

Answer 7

• high degree are insensitive, unconventional and lack conscience
• high levels of testosterone more at risk of committing crime as they’d not feel guilt or remorse
• typically found in psychopaths

Question 8

Eysenck and Eysenck study

Answer 8

• assessed levels of extraversion, neuroticism and psychotisim in a large group of male offender
• offenders scored higher consistently in psychoticism and neuroticism however no clear pattern for extraversion
• support link between high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism and offending behaviour
• however link between offending behaviour and extraversion is unclear

Question 9

Weaknesses of Eysenck theoy

Answer 9

• implications in the legal system assume criminals are born with a predisposition to offend, implies no control over offending behaviour,Cannot be held criminally responsible
• assumes personality is consistent, people behaviour is not consistent
  Counter argument
• Mischel and peake found notion of criminal personality is flawed as people do not simply have one personality for eg a person may be neurotic at work but calm in there home