Lesson 5: Eysenck’s Theory Of The Criminal Personality

Question 1

General personality theory

Answer 1

• Eysenck (1947) proposed that behaviour could be represented along two dimensions. Introversion/extra version and neuroticism/stability. The two dimensions combine to form a variety of personality traits. Eysenck later added a third dimension - psychoticism.
• According to Eysenck, our personality traits are biological in origin and come about from the nervous system we inherit from parents. Therefore all personality types have a innate biological basis.

Question 2

Extraverts

Answer 2

• Have an under active nervous system so they are constantly seeking excitement and stimulation and may engage in high risk behaviour. They are difficult to condition and so do not learn from their mistakes.

Question 3

Neurotic individuals

Answer 3

Tend to be nervous, jumpy and over-anxious, and their general instability means their behaviour is often difficult to predict

Question 4

Criminal personality

Answer 4

The criminal personality type is neurotic-extravert. A combination of all the characteristics and behaviours of extraversion and neuroticism. In addition, Eysenck suggested a typical offender would also score highly on psychoticism - cold, unemotional and prone to aggression.
In Egsenck’s theory, personality is linked to criminal behaviour via socialisation. Eynseck saw cr,I all behavioue as developmentally immature in that it is selfish and concerned with immediate gratification. During socialisation children are taught to delay gratification and be socially orientated. Eysenck believed that believe with high extraversion and neuroticism scores had nervous systems that respond to their anti-social impulses with anxiety. Consequently, they are more likely to act anti socially in situations where the opportunity presents itself.
- Eysenck developed the Eysenck Personality inventory, a psychological test which locates respondents along the extraversion and neuroticism dimensions to determine their personality type. A later scale was introduced that is used to measure psychoticism.

Question 5

Weakness of Eysenck’s theory (1)

Answer 5

• 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 6

Weakness of Eysenck’s theory (2)

Answer 6

• 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 someone who commits murder would be different to someone with commits fraud.

Question 7

Weakness of Eysenck’s theory (3)

Answer 7

• Eysenck ‘s theory is out of step with modern personality theory. Digman’s (1990) Five Factor Model of personality suggests that openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness are important personality dimensions, in addition to extraversion and neuroticism. Using this model multiple combinations are available.

Question 8

Weakness of Eysenck’s theory (4)

Answer 8

• 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 and 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 9

Weakness of Eysenck’s theory (5)

Answer 9

• 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.