Psychological explanations: Eysenck's theory Flashcards
What was the personality theory?
Eysenck proposed that behaviour could be represented along two dimensions: introversion-extraversion and neuroticism-stability. The two dimensions combine to form a variety of personality characteristics or traits.
He later added a third dimension: Psychoticism - sociability.
What is the biological basis of Eysenck’s theory?
Eysenck believes that our personality traits are biological in origin and come about through the types of nervous system we inherit. Thus all personality types have an innate biological basis.
What are extraverts according to the biological basis?
They have an underactive nervous system which means they constantly seek excitement, stimulation and are likely going to take part in risk-taking behaviours. They also do not learn from their mistakes.
What are neurotic individuals according to the biological basis and Eysenck’s theory?
Individuals have a high level of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system and response quickly to the fight or flight response.
They tend to be nervous, jumpy and overanxious, and their behaviour is difficult to predict.
What are psychotic individuals according to the biological basis and Eysenck’s theory?
Individuals are are suggested to have higher levels of testosterone and are unemotional and prone to aggression.
What is the criminal personality as part of Eysenck’s theory?
neurotic-extravert-psychotic.
Neurotics are unstable and therefore prone to overreact to situations of threat. Extraverts seek more arousal and thus engage in dangerous activities. Psychotics are aggressive and lack empathy.
Explain the role of socialisation in Eysenck’s theory.
Children are taught to become more able to delay gratification and more socially orientated.
Eysenck believed that people with high introversion-extraversion and neuroticism- stability scores had nervous systems that made them difficult to condition.
As a result, they are less likely to learn anxiety responses to antisocial impulses and, consequently, they would be more likely to act antisocially in situations where the opportunity presented itself.
How did Eysenck measure the criminal personality?
He developed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), a form of psychological test which locates respondents along the introversion -extraversion, neuroticism-stability and psychoticism- sociability dimensions to determine their personality type.
The measurement of personality was a very important part of Eysenck’s theory because it enabled him to conduct research relating personality variables to other behaviours, such as criminality.
Strength of Eysenck’s theory.
Sybil Eysenck and Hans Eysenck compares 2070 prisoners scores on the Eysenck personality questionnaire with 2422 controls.
On measures of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, prisoners recorded high then average scores than the controls.
This agrees with the predictions of the theory that offender rate higher than average across the three dimensions.
One limitation of Eysenck’s theory.
It is too simplistic.
Moffitt drew a distinction between offending behaviour that only occurs in adolescence and that which continues into adulthood.
She argued that personality traits alone were a poor predictor of how long offending behaviour would go on for, (if someone is going to become a career offender).
She considered persistence in offending behaviour to be the result of a reciprocal process between the individuals personality traits and the environment.
This presents a more complex picture than Eysenck suggested, that the course of offending behaviour is determined by personality and the environment.
Limitation of Eysenck’s theory- culture factors.
Cultural factors are not taken into account.
The criminal personality may vary according to culture.
Bartol et.al studied Hispanic and African American offenders in a prison. They divided the offenders into 6 groups on their offending history and the nature of the offences.
It was found that all 6 groups were less extraverted than a non-offender control group. They suggested that this was the case because the sample was a very different cultural group from that investigated by Eysenck.
This questions how far the criminal personality can be generalised and suggests it may be a culturally relative concept.
