Eysenck's theory of the criminal personality Flashcards
Outline the various personality types as proposed by Eysenck
Extraversion: Underactive nervous system so seek excitement, stimulation and risk taking/dangerous behaviours. Do not condition easily so do not learn from their mistakes
Neuroticism: High levels of reactivity in sympathetic nervous system so respond quickly to threat (fight or flight) Unstable and more likely to overreact to situations of threat.
Psychoticism: Higher levels of testosterone so more aggressive Unemotional and lack control
The criminal personality is neurotic-extravert-psychotic.
Outline the role of socialisation.
By the process of socialisation children are typically taught delayed gratification.
Criminals seek immediate gratification as they have high E & N scores so are impatient and their nervous system makes them difficult to condition.
They are more likely to act antisocially in certain situations because they do not feel anxiety and do not learn to control their impulses.
Evaluate.
Research support:
+ Eysenck assessed 2070 male prisoners who were compared to a control group of 2422 males. On measures of E, N and P, prisoners recorded higher scores than the control group.
- However, confirmation bias Individual differences: Farrington et al carried out a meta-analysis and found offenders scored higher on psychoticism but not neuroticism and extraversion. There are individual differences and therefore generalisations cannot be made.
+ Takes into account both nature and nurture. Biological basis but the idea of socialisation
- Too simplistic: Moffitt (suggested there is a difference between adolescence- limited offending and life-course persistent offending. Persistent offending is due to individual personality traits and also environmental reactions to traits.
- Cultural factors: Bartol and Holanchock studied Hispanic and African-American offenders in a New York prison and found prisoners were less extravert than a non-offender control group.
