Forensic Psychology - 6. Psychological Explanations: 1. Eysenck's Criminal Personality

Question 1

Factors of our personality according to Eysenck

Answer 1

It’s innate
Has a biological basis
Personality is genetic

Question 2

How is our personality genetic?

Answer 2

We inherit a type of nervous system that predisposes us to offending

Question 3

Was Eysenck’s theory of personality intended for studying crime?

Answer 3

No. It is a general theory that has been applied to crime

Question 4

What does Eysenck’s theory of personality suggest all personalities are made up?

Answer 4

Suggests all personalities are made up of certain characteristics and the extent to which you have those traits determines your personality

Question 5

What are the 3 dimensions that personality varies along?

Answer 5

Neurotic
Extravert
Psychoticism

Question 6

Way of remembering the 3 dimensions that personality varies along

Answer 6

High PEN

Question 7

How does the criminal personality theory link with biological explanations of criminality?

Answer 7

Because the theory views criminal behaviour as being due to activity of the nervous system (innate)

Question 8

Criminal personality = (equation)

Answer 8

Psychoticism + extraversion + neuroticism

Question 9

Traits of an extrovert (6)

Answer 9

Social
Impulsive
Expressive
Risk taking
Talkative
Outgoing

Question 10

Why are extroverts sensation seeking according to Eysenck?

Answer 10

Because they have an under-aroused nervous system

Question 11

What does extroverts requiring greater external stimulation lead to/result in?

Answer 11

Results in more risky behaviour and their impulsive and nervous nature

Question 12

Do extroverts learn from mistakes?

Answer 12

No

Question 13

What might draw an extrovert to committing a crime?

Answer 13

The thrill of it

Question 14

CNS of extroverts

Answer 14

It’s less responsive than that of ‘normal’ people

Question 15

Traits of an introvert (5)

Answer 15

Happy on their own
Cautious
Reflective
Self-aware
Takes time to make decisions

Question 16

What does a less responsive CNS mean in terms of fight or flight?

Answer 16

It takes more to trigger the fight or flight response

Question 17

Neuroticism traits (4)

Answer 17

Nervousness
Obsessiveness
Anxious
Irritable

Question 18

How did Eysenck go about reducing social desirability in his personality questionnaire?

Answer 18

He included a ‘lie score’ which is out of 9. There were a number of questions which were all the same (just with different wording) so Eysenck could see if the answers were consistent and truthful

Question 19

Nervous system of people with high neuroticism

Answer 19

Over-aroused sympathetic nervous system, meaning it reacts very quickly to stressors - the fight or flight response is easily and frequently triggered

Question 20

When are those with high neuroticism likely to commit a crime? Why?

Answer 20

Likely to commit a crime in an emotionally charged situation because their fight or flight response is easily triggered

Question 21

Traits of individual with high psychoticism (6)

Answer 21

Cold
Heartless
Anti-social behaviour
Aggressive
Insensitive
Unemotional

Question 22

What causes aggressive behaviour among psychotics according to Eysenck?

Answer 22

Psychotics have excess dopamine neurons causing an overproduction of dopamine
Increased dopamine leads to inhibition of impulses (increased recklessness) during synaptic transmission
This inhibition potentially causes aggressive behaviour

Question 23

What else do psychotics have increased levels in according to Eysenck?

Answer 23

Increased levels in testosterone

Question 24

What crimes are psychotics linked to? Why?

Answer 24

Violent and sexual crimes, due to aggression (testosterone) and pleasure seeking (dopamine)

Question 25

What is criminality the outcome of according to Eysenck?

Answer 25

It’s the outcome of innate personality and socialisation

Question 26

Will a person born with certain personality traits for a criminal always become a criminal?

Answer 26

No. Interaction with the environment is key in the development of criminality

Question 27

What 3 things is crimnal behaviour associated with?

Answer 27

Developmental immaturity
Selfishness
Immediate gratification

Question 28

4 steps of conditioning

Answer 28

1. Child is conditioned
2. Child learns sense of right and wrong
3. Child avoids behaviour which leads to punishment
4. Child learns to control their impulses

Question 29

What explains why people with high extroversion and neuroticism are likely to act anti-socially?

Answer 29

They cannot be conditioned easily

Question 30

How can you predict if a child is going to become a criminal according to Eysenck?

Answer 30

If they can’t control their own impulses after conditioning they are likely to go onto criminality

Question 31

What did Eysenck do to find research support for his theory of criminal personality?

Answer 31

He compared around 2000 male prisoners score on EPQ (Eysenck’s personality questionnaire) with 2400 male controls. Did the same type of study for female prisoners

Question 32

Results of Eysenck’s research

Answer 32

Across all age groups and males and females, prisoners recorded high scores on EPQ than controls

Question 33

What did Farrington et al find which singly goes against Eysenck’s theory?

Answer 33

Reviewed 16 studies and found that offenders tend to score highly on P and N measurements but not always on E

Question 34

How does Eysenck’s theory include cultural bias?

Answer 34

Eysenck studied mainly white western European participants
Participants were guilty of property crime (doesn’t measure personality for serious crimes).
Research found that a group of Hispanic convicts were less extrovert compared to non-criminals
Suggests Eysenck’s theory is not universal and so lacks generalisability

Question 35

How is Eysenck potentially guilty of oversimplification?

Answer 35

Digman’s Five Factor Model suggests that there are more than 3 factors that indicate whether someone is going to be a criminal or not