Briefly describe + evaluate one individ diff exp

• Point:

  One individual differences explanation of criminal behaviour is Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality. “Individual differences” refers to the idea that people differ in consistent ways, such as in their personality traits, which can make some more prone to criminal behaviour than others.
• Evidence:

  Eysenck proposed that personality is made up of three key dimensions: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. He argued these traits are biologically based and largely inherited. For example, extraverts seek stimulation due to low cortical arousal, while neurotics are emotionally unstable and prone to overreact. High psychoticism is linked to aggression and a lack of empathy. These traits make individuals more likely to engage in risk-taking or antisocial behaviours. Eysenck also believed that people high in these traits are less responsive to conditioning, meaning they don’t easily learn from punishment, which increases the risk of criminal behaviour.
• Evaluate:

  These is some support for Eysenck’s theory. For instance, Zuckerman (1987) found higher correlations for neuroticism and extraversion among identical twins than non-identical twins, supporting a genetic basis. However, these correlations were around +0.50, which is lower than Eysenck claimed, suggesting environmental factors also play a role. Moreover, the theory has been criticised for assuming personality is stable across all contexts. Research by Mischel and Peake (1982) showed little consistency in personality across different situations, suggesting that behaviour is influenced more by context than by fixed traits. This challenges the idea of a ’criminal personality.’
• Link:

  While Eysenck's theory offers a useful biological and psychological explanation of criminality through individual differences, it oversimplifies behaviour by ignoring the influence of environment and situational factors. It also struggles to explain why not all individuals with these traits become criminals.
• Conclusion

  In conclusion, Eysenck’s theory makes a valuable contribution to understanding how individual differences in personality may predispose someone to criminal behaviour. However, its deterministic approach and overreliance on biological traits limit its ability to fully explain the complexity of criminality, especially when environmental and social factors are clearly influential.