Individual difference explanation- Eysenck criminal personality type

Question 1

Who is eysenck and what did he believe?

Answer 1

An american psychologist
Believed everyone had different personality called the 3 dimensions

Question 2

3 dimensions, what are these?

Answer 2

-Extroversion
-Neuroticism
-Psychoticism

Question 3

3 dimensions, Neuroticism what is this?

Answer 3

High levels of anxiety, moody and irritable

Question 4

3 dimensions, extroversion what is this?

Answer 4

Sociable
Lively
Optimistic

Question 5

3 dimensions, Psychoticism what is this?

Answer 5

Aggressive and impatient

Question 6

What does this theory’s say?

Answer 6

Criminals have personality types that differ to non criminals

Question 7

Is this biological or psychological?

Answer 7

Both
personality is a biological basis and psychological due to our environment
Like a bridge the gap between them

Question 8

What is the biological basis of criminal personality?

Answer 8

Personality traits caused by biology
Criminals inherit a type of nervous system affecting their ability to learn and adapt to environment

Question 9

Biological basis of criminal personality- Extraversion vs Introversion?

Answer 9

E- under aroused nervous system so seek stimulation
I- over stimulated CNS, quiet and reserved and shun sensation

Question 10

Biological basis of criminal personality- Neuroticism and stability?

Answer 10

S- Nervous system less reactive to stressful situations remaining calm and level headed
N- unstable nervous system and prone to over react to stimuli and may be quick to anger or fear

Question 11

Biological basis of criminal personality- Psychoticism and normality?

Answer 11

P- high testosterone meaning high psychoticism
N- low testosterone

Question 12

Biological basis of criminal personality- who is more likely to be a criminal and why- extraversion or introversion?

Answer 12

Extraversion
Need more arousal, seek dangerous situations and more impulsive
Crimes like theft or robbery

Question 13

Biological basis of criminal personality- who is more likely to be a criminal and why- Neuroticism and stability?

Answer 13

Neuroticism
Prone to overreacting in anger or fear
Unstable leading to unplanned criminals acts from an esceleated event
e.g. crimes of passion, assault after an argument

Question 14

Biological basis of criminal personality- who is more likely to be a criminal and why- Psychoticism and normality?

Answer 14

Psychoticism
High testosterone
Aggressive, impulsive and lack empathy
Crimes like murders or planned offences

Question 15

The role of socialisation in criminal personality?

Answer 15

Eysenck believed that criminal behaviour could be explained through a combination of innate personality traits and socialist
A person can be born with certain personality traits that may predispose them to criminality but the interactions with the environment is important in the development of criminal behaviour

Question 16

The role of socialisation in criminal personality- how does this link to conditioning?

Answer 16

Because the socialisation element occurs during childhood where children are taught bad behaviour is punished (fear and operant conditioning)
However people who scored highly on extraversion and neuroticism were less easily conditioned, meaning they aren’t scored of the punishment that bad behaviour and so dont learn to follow rules

Question 17

Who is our research support?

Answer 17

Eysenck and Eysenck 1977

Question 18

Reaserch support Eynsek?

Answer 18

2070 male prisoners and 2442 male controls were administered the personality questionaire, which gives scores on P N and E and lie scales
The groups were subdivided into age groups ranging from 16-69 years
-Scores on P E and N fell with age for both prisioners and controls, prisoners had higher scores than control on all 3 scales

Question 19

Research support- what does this suggest?

Answer 19

People in prison scored high levels of all traits supported as findings a link between the traits and criminal behaviour, meaning personality does explain some crimes suggesting with age personality becomes more mellow

Question 20

Evaluation- supporting research SEEW?

Answer 20

S- One strength of eysenck research is research support
E- Eysenck and Eysenck compared male prisoners to control found that prisoners scored higher than controls on PE and N scales
C- However, this research was conducted by Eysenck this is the founder of the theory presenting researcher bias to make theory look credible
W- Therefore, even though there is research support we need to be cautious of findings due to boas

Question 21

Evaluation- Issues with measuring personality SEEW?

Answer 21

S- One weakness of personality explanation is that the accuracy of the personality measures can be questioned
E- Self report measures where p’s answer q’s that correlate to personality traits, open to social desirability to bias as may not answer truthfully due to fear of judgment to put them self in different life
E-However he did include a lie scale in his questionaries to help identify p’s that weren’t answering truthfully so data discarded
W- Therefore even though they controlled SD but can a questionnaire be an accuret measure of personality, suggest diff way

Question 22

Evaluation- Consider influence of nature and nurture on criminality SEEW?

Answer 22

S- One strength is it considered nature and nurture
E- explained criminal behaviours biological and nurture
E- e.g. psychoticism causing aggression and peers can help us build up crime personality
W- A strength as its interactionalist its a more complete explained for criminal behaviour

Question 23

Evaluation- determenistic?

Answer 23

S- One weakness is determinism
E- Meaning behaviour determined our path of life so we have no control
C- May be strength as it we know that ps have traits interventions can be put in place to stop these increasing
W- Although evidence to say it could be strength but it is a weakness as it ignores other factors

Question 24

Evaluation- personality isn’t consistent SEEW paragraph?

Answer 24

S- One weakness is behaviour isn’t consistent
E- We aren’t born with the same personality we have now sp can this be applied to theory
E- 1930 Richard Lapiere asked 25 hotel perpetrators if they would serve chinese guests and only 1 yes however when he followed around a young chinese couples that visited the hotels they were only denied service to one
W- Therefore showing inconsistency so cant be applied to therapy

Question 25

Conclusion