Individualistic Theories - Personality Flashcards
What did Eysenck develop to aid in his research?
He developed a questionnaire that he believed could measure peoples personality
What are the 3 personality scales?
P scale - Psychoticism vs Socialism
E scale - Extravert vs Introvert
N scale - Neurotic vs Stable
What was Eysenck theory of criminality?
He believed that people were more likely to be criminals if they got psychotic, extranet and neurotic because they would be more thrill seeking but they would also be harder to condition.
What did Eysenck believe about extraverts?
He believed that extraverts inherited a nervous system that needs a high level of stimulation so they would be excitement seeking so they would be more likely to act on impulse
What did Eysenck think about people who were neurotic?
They would not learn from punishment because of their high levels of anxiety
What did Eysenck think about people who were psychotic?
They would be harder to condition because they are cruel and insensitive
What was Eysenck’s research?
He gave the questionnaire to 700 soldiers who were suspected to have neurotic disorders
What are the strengths of Eysneck’s personality theory?
- Farrington et al. conducted their own research and found that criminals scored high on the p scale
- His research supported his theory in showing a link between the neurotic and extravert scale
What are weaknesses of Eysnecks theory?
- His theory did not consider other factors can cause criminal behaviour
- Many participants did not answer the questions truthfully they put the answers that they thought he wanted
