Eysenck's theory: psychological

• Eysenck proposed that behaviour could be represented along 3 dimensions
• Eysneck's three dimensions:

  • introversion/ extroversion (E)
  • neuroticism/stability (N)
  • psychoticism
• Esyneck states that our personality traits are biological in origin and come through the nervous system we inherit
• extraverts have an underactive nervous system

  • they constantly seek excitement, and stimulation and engage in risk-taking behaviours.
  • do not learn from their mistakes
• the criminal personality type is neurotic-extravert
• Eysenck suggests that a typical offender will score highly on measures of psychoticism
• psychoticism

  • cold
  • unemotional
  • prone to aggression
• personality is linked to criminal behaviour via the socialisation process

  • children are taught to become more able to delay gratification and more socially orientated
• Eysneck saw criminal behaviour as immature

  • it is selfish and concerned with immediate gratification
• people with high E and N scores had nervous systems that made them difficult to condition
• Eysneck Personality test (EPI) - a psychological test which locates respondents along the E and N dimension to determine their personality type
• Strength of Eysneck's Theory: Supporting evidence

  Eysenck (1977)

  • compare 2070 male prisoners' scores on the EPI with 2422 male controls
  • subdivided into age groups
  • prisoners tend to score higher than the control group
• COUNTER ARGUMENT for Eysneck's theory: supporting evidence 


  Farrington et al

  • reported that offenders tend to score higher on P measure, but not for E and N
  • very little evidence of consistent differences in EEG measures between E and I
  • casts doubt on the psychological basis
• Limitation of Eysenck's theory: a single crime type 


  all offending behaviour explained by a single personality type has been heavily criticized.

  Five-factor model of personality

  • suggests that there are additional dimensions of openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
  • multiple combinations are available and therefor a high E and N scores does not mean offending is inevitable
• Limitation of Eysneck's theory: Cultural bias

  Bartol and Holanchock

  • looked into criminal differences
  • studied Hispanics and African American offenders in maximum security prisons in NY
  • divided into 6 groups based on criminal history
  • they were found less extravert than the non-criminal groups

  suggested that this is because the sample was a very different culture group than the one investigated but Esyneck

  • questions the generalisability of the criminal personality