Forensics - Psychological Explanations: Eysenck's theory Flashcards
What did Eysenck suggest?
Suggested that there was a specific criminal personality (neurotic- extravert) which could be measured across two categories of (neurotic-stable and extravert-introvert) , with the third dimension of psychoticism being added at a later date.
What does the criminal personality theory have links to? Name an example of this.
Considerable links with biological explanations of criminality because the theory views criminal behaviour as being due to the activity of the nervous system which is linked to specific personalities.
Example= extraverts have an underactive nervous system and so are continuously looking for new stimulation. This might explain their nervous and impulsive behaviour.
What does somebody’s personality type (and the activity of their nervous system) affect?
Affects how much somebody is affected by socialisation which happens in childhood and aims to teach children essential social communication skills
How can personality be measured?
It can be measured across the 3 dimensions using the EPI i.e Eysenck’s Personality Inventory
What are the limitations of EPI?
- Reductionist approach to assessing and measuring personality, traits are unlikely to be accounted for using only 3 dimensions.
- May suffer from culture bias , due to the largely Western culture from which the sample was drawn. Hispanic convicts were less extractert compared to non-criminals. Suggests EPI is not universal and so lacks generalisability to all cultures.
- Oversimplification of the classification of criminal. It is unlikely that there is only one criminal personality type. Other additional dimensions have been suggested which include agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience.
What is the biological basis of extraversion?
Determined by the overall level of arousal in a person’s nervous system. A person who is under-aroused requires more stimulation , whereas an over-aroused person doesn’t require this. Extraverts seek external stimulation to increase brain arousal.
What is the biological basis of neuroticism ?
Determined by the level of stability in the sympathetic nervous system - how a person responds in situations of threat. A neurotic person is someone who is slightly unstable and reacts quickly
What is the biological basis of psychoticism?
Higher levels of testosterone which means that men are more likely to be found at this end of the spectrum
Explain research support for the link between personality and criminal behaviour
There has been research comparing the personalities of criminals and non criminals . Dunlop found that both extraversion and psychoticism, as well as lie scales , were good predictors of delinquency. However in this study, participants were all students and their friends and delinquency was an assessment of minor offences . Another study by Van Dam found that only a small group of male offenders in a juvenile prison detention centre had high scores on all three Eysenck’s variables..
