This theory argues that people with a particular personality type are more likely to be criminal
Eysenck's three personality dimensions
Psychoticism (P score)
Extraversion vs Introversion (E score)
Neuroticism vs stability (N score)
People with high P score
Tend to be 'misfits' who may be cruel, insensitive, aggressive and lacking in empathy
Extroverted people
Outgoing, sociable and impulsive. They are also more likely to be aggressive, short tempered and unreliable
Introverted people
Reserved, thoughtful, serious, quiet, self-controlled and reliable
Neurotic people
Anxious, moody, often depressed and prone to over-react
Emotionally stable people
Calm, even-tempered and controlled
Eysenck found that criminals often have high E, N and P scores
Someone with high E, N and P scores would be more likely to be a criminal as they would think things through less, increased aggression, engage in risky behaviour and are prone to overreact
