Limitations of Eyesenck

• Research evidence- Eysenck compared over 2000 prisoner's personality scores with a control group of non-prisoners. He found that across all age groups the prisoners had a higher average PEN score than the control group. This is a strength as it shows there is research evidence to support his criminal personality theory.
• Eysenck found that across all age groups the prisoners had a higher average E, N and P scores than the control group
• Counter argument for research evidence

  social desirability effect- demand characteristics, prisoners may feel they need to appear a certain way (eg. tough)
• different types of criminal personality

  it has been suggested that there are many different types of criminal personality depending on what types of crimes are involved and how it is carried out- Therefore idea there is one personality is viewed as simplistic (crimes such as cyber crime aren’t going to have aggressive personalities)
• limitation of Eyesenck

  E scale may be too simplistic- measures impulsiveness and sociability- offenders score high on impulsiveness as lacking self control but not sociability (lacking social skills) which reduces validity and it is not necessarily measuring what it sets out to measure
• may not be valid to reduce personality to a score 


  could be argued that personality as a stable entity does not exist. Our personality changes over time and depending on our moods so we may have different results and personalities based on when we take the personality test. reduces reliability