Psychological Explanation: Eysenck's Theory

Question 1

what was Eysenck’s personality theory?

Answer 1

Eysenck (74) said behaviour in 2 dimensions:

• (e) introversion/ extraversion
• (n) neuroticism/ stability
  (p) later added as psychoticism

Question 2

how is personality determined by nervous system?

Answer 2

• nervous systems are inherited
• extraverts have underachieve nervous system (seek stimulation)
• neurotics are nervous and unstable (hard to predict)

Question 3

what is the criminal personality?

Answer 3

neurotic
extravert
high psychotics (emotional and aggressive)

Question 4

how does socialisation link to criminal personality?

Answer 4

socialisation teaches kids to delay gratification and be sociable
criminal personalities are hard to condition, so they can’t control behaviour in public

Question 5

measuring criminal personality

Answer 5

• Eysenck personality inventory (EPI)

- Test that places people on E and N dimensions - P later added to the test/ scale

Question 6

+ Eysenck’s study of criminal personality

Answer 6

• Eysenck and Eysenck (77) compare 2070- prisoners and 2422 normal control (divided by age)
• found prisoners scored higher on E,N,P than control

Question 7

– negative evaluation of Eysenck’s 1977 study

Answer 7

• Farringdon (82) found prisoners scored high on P but not any higher on E and N
• EEG’s also showed no difference in introvert and extravert cortical arousal

Question 8

– theory doesn’t apply to all cultures

Answer 8

• Bartol (79) studied black and hispanic prisoners
• all groups were less extravert than the control group
• said this was because prisoners were culturally different to Eysenck’s original group
  (bad generalise between cultures)