Eysencks theory Flashcards
Intro
Hans Eysenck was an important figure in intelligence and personality research during the middle of the 20th century.
• Behaviour can be represented along two dimensions.
• Introversion - extroversion (E)
• Neuroticism - stability (N)
• Later a third dimension was added.
• Psychoticism - socialibility (P)
These dimensions combine to form a variety of personality characteristics or traits
• Measured using the EPQ
• Allowed him to conduct research relating personality variables to other behaviours e.g. criminality.
A biological basis
According to Eysenck, our personality traits are biological in origin and are based on the type of nervous system we inherit.
• Personality types (inc. criminal one) are innate / biological
Extroverts
• Underactive nervous system | Constantly seek stimulation | risk-taking behaviours | hard to condition
Neurotics
• High level of reactivity in SNS | nervous jumpy and overanxious | instability makes them unpredictable.
Psychotics
• High levels of testosterone | unemotional | prone to aggression
The role of socialisation
In this theory personality is linked to offending behaviour via the process of socialisation.
• The socialisation process includes teaching children to become more able to delay gratification and become more socially orientated.
• Teaching them to be less selfish and teaching them the difference between right and wrong.
• High E and N makes people harder to condition.
• Less likely to learn from previous punishment
• E.g. via anxiety responses or punishments from parents.
• More likely to behave antisocially.
S-research support
One strength of the theory is there is evidence to support the criminal personality.
Eysenck and Eysenck (1977) compared 2070 male prisoners scores on the EPQ with 2422 male controls.
Across all the age groups that were sampled prisoners recorded higher average scores in terms of E, N, and P than the controls.
This agrees with the prediction that offenders rate higher than average across the three dimensions identified by the theory.
counterpoint-However, a meta-analysis of relevant studies conducted by Farrington et al. (1982) reported that offenders tended to score high on measures of P but not for E and N
Furthermore EEGs have provided inconsistent evidence of differences between extroverts and introverts, which casts doubt on the physiological basis of the dimensions identified by the theory.
This means that some of the central assumptions of the theory have been challenged
L-Too simplistic
The idea that all offending behaviour can be explained by a single personality type is too simplistic.
• Moffit (1993) proposed several distinct types of adult male offender based on the timing of the first offence and how long the offending persists.
• Personality traits alone were a poor predictor of how long offending would continue for.
• Theory is outdated - Digman’s (1990) five factor model of personality suggests that alongside E and N there are additional dimensions of openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
• Many possible combinations and high levels of E and N do not mean offending is inevitable.
This presents a more complex picture of offending and suggests that Eysenck’s theory is both out of step with modern theories, and overly simplistic.
L-cultural factors
A further limitation is that cultural factors were not taken into account.
• Bartol and Holanchock (1979) studied Hispanic and African-American offenders.
• 6 groups based on offences and offending history.
•All 6 groups scored lower on E then non-offender controls.
• Suggested to be due to the fact the sample was culturally different to Eysenck’s sample.
This questions how far the criminal personality can be generalised and suggests that it maybe a culturally relative concept.
6 marker
Eysenck’s personality theory suggests that behaviour can be represented along two dimensions. Introversion - extraversion and neuroticism - stability. These dimensions combine to form a variety of personality characteristics or traits, which are biological in origin and based on the type of nervous system we have inherited.
The criminal personality is a mixture of high levels of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism (a dimension that was later added to the theory).
People who are highly extraverted have an under-active nervous system, which means that they constantly seek stimulation and excitement, are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours. Neurotics on the the other hand have a highly reactive sympathetic nervous system, which makes them nervous, jumpy and unpredictable. Finally psychotics are thought to have high levels of testosterone, be unemotional and prone to aggression.
Eysenck also linked the developed of criminal behaviour with socialisation. In “normal” people wrongdoing is avoided because of previous punishment, which would reduce the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated. However Eysenck claimed that people who were high and extraversion and neuroticism were less easily conditioned and therefore they do not learn from previous punishment to avoid anti-social behaviours.
