Eysenck's personality theory of crime Flashcards
According to Eysenck, why do some people commit criminal acts
due to their personality traits, which are biological in origin and come about through the type of nervous system we inherit. Therefore all personality types, including the criminal, have an innate biological basis.
According to Eysenck, how could behaviour be represented.
Along two dimensions,
Introversion - Extroversion (E)
Neuroticism - stability (N)
later added a 3rd:
psychotocism - sociability (P)
What is the criminal personality type
Neurotic, extravert, psychotic.
What is meant by neuroticism
trait that reflects a persons level of emotional stability, low neuroticism means a person is confident, content and stable
What is the biological basis behind extraverts
Extraverts have an under active nervous system (ANS and fight/flight). As a result they constantly seek excitement through risk taking behaviour. they do not condition easily as do not recieve physiological feedback from their ANS, therefore do not learn from their mistakes.
what is the biological basis behind the neurotic personality
Neurotics have a high level of reactivity in their sympathetic nervous system, so they tend to be over anxious and their instability means their behaviour is difficult to predict.
What is the biological basis to psychotic personality
individuals have higher levels of testerone and are unemotional and prone to aggression
Why is the criminal personality type Neurotic-extravert-psychotic
neurotics are unstable therefore overreact to situations of threat, extraverts seek arousal and engage in dangerous behaviour,psychotics are aggressive and lack empathy.
What is the process of socialisation
where children are tuaght to delay gratification and become more socially orientated.
why might criminals have disruption to their process of socialisation? what is the result of this?
People with high E and N scores had nervous systems that made them difficult to condition, as a result they are less likely to learn anxiety responses to antisocial impulses. Therefore more likely to act antisocially and seek immediate gratification.
How could Personality be measured according to Eysenck
through a questionnaire, a psychological test which locates respondents along the E, N , P dimension to determine their personality type.
Outline the research conducted by Eysenck and Eysenck (AO3)
compared 2070 male prisoners scores on the personality questionnaire, with 2422 male controls. Prisoners scored higher on average for measures of extraversion, neuroticsm and psychoticism, compared to the controls, across all ages. Data supports what the theory would predict that offenders rate higher than average across the three dimensions that eyesenck identified.
However there are issues with Eysenck’s sample, what was the issue, how does this decrease the validity
Used too narrow of a sample looking only at convicted convicts. Does not consider those who commit crime, but do get caught. do they have a different personality trait, for example more introverted and therefore less likely to discuss crime with others. Perhaps there are many offenders with different personality traits that are more stable/introverted therefore do not get caught. This decreases the validity as cannot apply the same personality type to all criminals.
There is research that does not support Eysenck’s theory, what is this research, why does it refute.
Farrington et al conducted a meta analysis of studies looking at personality questionnaire, reported that offenders tended to score high on psychoticism but not for extraversion or neuroticism. Challenges the central assumption of Eysencks theory that criminals have a specific personality type.
what has scanning data shown about the physiological basis to Eysencks theory
inconsistent EEG data measuring cortical arousal between extraverts and introverts. Therefore there is no significant physiological EEG differences when it comes to electrical stimulation between introverts and extraverts. The theory lacks consistent credible scientific evidence to support an underactive physiological response.
