Eysenck's Theory Flashcards
What is the personality theory?
Eysenck (1947) proposed that behaviour could be represented along two dimensions:
- Introversion- extraversion (E)
- Neuroticism- stability (N)
- Psychoticism- sociability (P)
What is the biological basis of his theory?
The criminal personality has an innate biological basis
- Extraverts: Have an underactive nervous system which means they constantly seek excitement and engage in risk-taking behaviours, don’t condition easily and learn from mistakes
- Neurotic: Individuals have high level of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system- they respond quickly to situations of thereat. Nervous, jumpy and overanxious. General instability means their behaviour is difficult to predict
- Psychotic, higher levels of testosterone and are unemotional and prone to aggression
What is the criminal personality?
Neurotic- extravert- psychotic
- Neurotics are unstable and overreact to threat, extraverts seek more arousal and engage in dangerous activities, psychotics are aggressive and lack empathy
What is the role of socialisation?
Personality is linked to offending behaviour via socialisation processes.
The process of socialisation in where children are taught to delay gratification and become socially oriented. People with high E and N scores are hard to condition and act antisocially
How do you measure the criminal personality?
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), form of psychological test locates respondents along the E, N and P dimensions to determine their personality type. This is important as it allowed Eysenck to conduct research relating variables to other behaviours like criminality.
What is brief AO3 of Eysenck’s theory?
- Evidence to support criminal personality BUT central assumptions of personality challenged
- Idea that all offending behaviour can be explained by personality traits along is simplistic.
- Cultural factors aren’t taken into account
What is are strengths of Eysenck’s theory?
Eysenck and Eysenck (1977) compared 2070 prisoners scores on EPQ with 2422 controls. On measures of E, N and P across all age groups prisoners recorded higher average scores than the controls. Supports that offenders rate higher than average across the three dimensions.
BUT, Farrington et al (1982) conducted a metanalysis of relevant studies and found offenders only score high on measures of psychoticism. Inconsistent differences of the EEG measures between extraverts and introverts which casts doubt on the physiological basis of the theory. Central assumptions have been challenged.
What are the weaknesses of Eysenck’s theory?
The idea that all offending behaviour can be explained by personality traits alone is simplistic. Moffitt (1993) drew a distinction between offending behaviour that occurs in adolescence and adulthood. She argued that personality traits alone are a poor predictor, she considered persistence to be the result of reciprocal process between traits and environmental reactions. More complex picture is an interaction between personality and environment.
Cultural factors are not taken into account, criminal personality vary according to culture. Bartol and Holanchock studies Hispanic and African American offenders. Found that all six groups were less extravert then a non-offender control group because sample was culturally different. Criminal personality may be culturally relative concept and therefore not generalisable.
