Forensic Psychology- Psychological Explanations for Offending Behaviour Flashcards
What did Eysenck suggest?
The criminal personality
What is the neuroticism-stability dimension?
Neurotic individuals are anxious and restless and stable individuals are reliable and calm
What is the extraversion-introversion dimension?
Extraverted individuals are sociable, impulsive and assertive and introverted individuals are quiet, passive and reserved
When was the third dimension added to the EPQ?
The 1970s
What is psychoticism?
Shows how disposed an individual is to psychotic breakdown, tend to be aggressive, hostile and uncaring
What did Eysenck suggest (biological)?
Individuals have a genetic predisposition to a particular personality type but environmental factors play a role too
What did Eysenck believe was a good predictor for criminal behaviour?
Psychoticism, extraversion for young people, neuroticism in older people
Why do Eysenck’s findings lack reliability?
His theory was developed from self-report studies
What are cognitive distortions?
Irrational thought patterns which give people a distorted view of reality so affect how they behave
What is minimalisation?
Minimising the seriousness of their offending behaviour
What is hostile attribution bias?
Believing that others have hostile intentions
What did Kohlberg believe about moral reasoning?
Moral understanding increases as you grow older because at each stage you take more of the social world into account
What are the three levels of moral reasoning?
1- Preconventional reasoning
2- Conventional reasoning
3- Postconventional reasoning
What are the two stages in the preconventional level?
Punishment orientation- rules are obeyed to avoid punishment
Instrumental orientation- rules are obeyed for personal gain
What are the two stages in the conventional level?
‘Good boy’ or ‘good girl’ orientation- rules are obeyed for approval
Maintenance of social order- rules are obeyed to maintain social order
