Lesson 5: Eysenck's criminal personality

Question 1

According to Eysenck, what are the two dimensions behaviour could be represent along?

Answer 1

1. INTROVERSION/EXTRAVERSION
2. NEUROTICISM/STABILITY

Question 2

What do these 2 dimensions combine to form?

Answer 2

they combine to form a variety of personality traits

Question 3

What was the third dimension eysenck added?

Answer 3

Psychoticism

Question 4

According to Eyesnck, how are personality traits inherited

Answer 4

they are BIOLOGICAL in origin and come about through the type of NERVOUS SYSTEM we inherit from our parents

Question 5

What type of nervous system do EXTRAVERTS have

Answer 5

UNDERACTIVE nervous system

THEREFORE, they are constantly seeking EXCITEMENT + STIMULATION + may engage in risk taking behaviour

Question 6

What traits are seen in a NEUROTIC individual

Answer 6

Nervous, jumpy, over-anxious, have behaviour that is difficult to predict

Question 7

What is the criminal personality type?

Answer 7

NEUROTIC-EXTRAVERT

Question 8

What dimension do offenders also score highly on?

Answer 8

Psychoticism

Question 9

What are some of the traits of an individual with high levels of psychoticism

Answer 9

Cold, unemotional + prone to aggression

Question 10

According to Eysenck’s theory, how is personality linked to criminal behaviour?

Answer 10

via socialisation

Question 11

What did Eysenck see criminal behaviour as?

Answer 11

saw criminal behaviour as SELFISH + concerned with IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION

Question 12

What are children taught during socialisation?

Answer 12

to DELAY GRATIFICATION + be SOCIALLY ORIENTATED

Question 13

What did Eysenck believe about people with high extraversion + neuroticisim scores

Answer 13

They had NERVOUS SYSTEMS that made them difficult to condition.

as a result-> they will not learn EASILY to respond to their anti-social impulses with anxiety

Question 14

What did Eysenck develop to measure personality?

Answer 14

Eysenck Personality Inventory

Question 15

What is the Eysenck Personality inventory

Answer 15

A psychological test which locates respondents along the EXTRAVERSION + NEUROTICISM dimensions to determine their personality type

Question 16

Negative evaluation of Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality
(hint: High psychoticism)

Answer 16

• Farrington et al. (1982) reviewed several studies and reported that offenders tended to score higher on PSYCHOTICISM, but NOT on extraversion and
  neuroticism, than non-offenders.

Question 17

Negative evaluation of Eysenck’s theory
(Hint: simplistic, crime= too complicated)

Answer 17

• The idea that all offending behaviour can be explained by a single personality type has been heavily criticised as being simplistic. Crime is too varied and complex a behaviour to be due to one single personality type, the type of individual who commits murder is likely to be very different to one who commits fraud.

Question 18

Negative evaluation of Eysenck’s theory
(Hint: Five factor model)

Answer 18

• Eysenck ‘s theory is out of step with modern personality theory.

Digman’s (1990) FIVE FACTOR MODEL of personality suggests that OPENESS, AGREEABLENESS and conscientiousness are important personality dimensions, in addition to EXTRAVERSION and NEUROTICISM .

Using this model multiple
combinations are available

Question 19

Negative evaluation of Eysencks theory
(Hint: culturally biased, LESS extravert)

Answer 19

BARTOL and HOLANCHOCK (1979) looked into cultural differences.

They studied HISPANIC and AFRICAN-AMERICAN offenders in a maximum security prison in New
York and divided them into six groups based on their CRIMINAL history + the NATURE of their offences.

All six groups were found to be LESS EXTRAVERT than non-criminal control groups.

This means Eysenck’s theory could be CULTURALLY BIASED.

Question 20

Negative evaluation of Eysenck’s theory
(Hint: personality is not reducible, changes)

Answer 20

• Eysenck’s theory is based on the idea that it is possible to measure personality through psychological tests.

Critics have argued that personality may not be
reducible to a score in this way.

Many psychologists believe there is no such
thing as stable personality, on a daily basis people’s personality changes depending who they are with and the situation they are in.