PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION: EYSENCK’S THEORY Flashcards
Define the criminal personality suggested by Eysenck (2)
An individual who scores higher on measures of extra version, neuroticism and psychoticism
Cannot be easily conditioned, cold & unfeeling + likely to engage in offending behaviour
What does the Eysenck theory suggest (2)
Trait theory→ level you have of those traits determines your personality
According to Eysenck our personality is innate and has a biological basis. There is a personality type known as the criminal personality.
What are the 3 personality traits that exist along dimensions in eysencks theory
- Extra version
- Neuroticism
- Psychoticism
Define each of these personality traits in eysencks theory
- Extra version:
extrovert: sociable, impulsive, expressive and risk-takingother end of continuumintrovert: acts in the opposite way being happy in own company and more cautious
- Neuroticism:Individual who scores high on neuroticism scale⇒ exhibit such behaviour as nervousness, anxiety and obsessivenessOpposite end of spectrumdescribed as stable they would have a calm demeanour and more carefree attitude- Psychoticism: someone who measures high on psychoticism scale⇒ would be insensitive, unconventional and lack of conscience
What did Eysenck mean by biological basis (2)
personality traits are biological in origin= predispostion to certain traits inherited→ born with higher chance of becoming offender
come about through the type of nervous system we inherit that’s all personality types including criminal personality type have innate biological basis
What did eysenck suggest on How biological basis links with the personality traits
extrovert: have under active nervous system⇒ they constantly seek excitement, stimulation and likely engage in risk-taking behaviour + tend not to condition easily and do not learn from their mistakes
neurotic: individuals tend to be nervous, jumpy and over anxious and their general instability means that their behaviour is often difficult to predict
What is RAS and link it to extravesion (4) in eysencks theory
Reticular activating system moderate the level of activation
argues that if residual level of activation is low then a person will seek stimulation from the environment to raise levels⇒ Brain functioning at its optimum extrovert seek stimulation from their environment→ have low residual activation levels introverts withdraw from too much stimulation because brain arousal level needs to be reduced to function at its best
Link ANS to neuroticism in eysencks theory
Biological basis due to autonomic nervous system
some people react swiftly and strongly to stress psychologically most measuring high for neuroticism would react quickly and to a great degree
What did Eysenck suggest about the role of socialisation
Personality is linked to criminal behaviour⇒ socialisation process
Saw criminal behaviour as developmentally immature in that it is selfish and concerned with immediate gratification→they are impatient and cannot wait for things
Link process of socialisation to childhood suggested by eysenck (2)
process of socialisation is one in which children are taught to become more able to delay gratification and more socially orientated
believes that people with high E & N scores have nervous systems that made them difficult to condition→ not learn easily how to respond to antisocial impulses with anxiety→ consequently they would be more likely to act antisocially in situations where the opportunity presented itself
What was used to measure criminal personality and how within eysencks theory
Eysenck personality inventory (EPI)=questionnaire
Form of psychological test which locates respondents along the E & N & P dimensions to determine personality type
What are the 3 basic ideas underlying eysenck’s theory
- offenders demonstrate distinctive personality traits or behaviour patterns
- there is a genetic basis for these personality traits
- development of conscience, which can stop offending behaviour, may
be faulty.
Explain theory of criminal behaviour (4) suggested by Eysenck in his theory
With regard to the traits, he argued that people measuring higher were
more likely to commit crime, but for different reasons:
- High extraverts are sensation seekers and for that reason the ‘thrill' of committing a crime might make them drawn to such behaviour - High neurotics experience high levels of emotion, meaning they would be more likely to commit a crime in an emotionally charged situation + more likely to be conditioned because of their responsive autonomic nervous system and therefore they could be conditioned to commit crime - Individuals scoring high on the psychoticism scale are more likely to commit crime as they are aggressive and lack a conscience. This means there will be less holding them back and concern for others will not prevent them.
Evaluate evidence supporting Eysenck’s theory ( +ve (study) , 2 -ve)
- +ve: Eysenck et al: compared 2070 male prisoners scores on the EPI with 2422 male controls.Groups were subdivided into age groups, ranging from 16 to 69 years. On measures of psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticismacross all age groups prisoners recorded higher scores than controls
- -ve: Farrington et al. reviewed several studies and reported that offenders tended to score high on P measures, but not on the E and N.
- very little evidence of consistent differences in EEG measures (used to measure cortical arousal) between extraverts and introverts, which casts doubt on the physiological basis of Eysenck’s theory.
Evaluate cultural bias (-ve) (2) + study in Eysencks theory
- Bartol & Holanchock looked into cultural
differences.They studied Hispanic and African-American offenders in a maximum security prison in New York and divided these into six groups based on their criminal history and the nature of their offence.revealed that all six groups were found to be less extravert than a non-criminal control group.- Bartol et al. suggested that this was because their sample was a very
different cultural group than that investigated by Eysenck, which questions the generalisability of the criminal personality.
- Bartol et al. suggested that this was because their sample was a very
Explain nature nurture debate in terms of bio explanation of criminal behaviour (3 + case study) (-ve)
- Support for the diathesis-stress model of crime. Someone may have biological tendencies towards crime, but they will need some sort of environmental trigger in order to actually become a criminal. (Nature and Nurture)
- We must avoid biological determinism; genes are not destiny. Criminals have free will.
- Explaining crime simply through genes is very reductionist. Crime is complex and the reasons for people turning to crime are many and varied.
