Eyesencks theory

• Eysenck's Theory of the Criminal Personality


  Eysenck proposed a theory of personality based on biological factors, arguing that individuals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and adapt to the environment
• Eysenck was working at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in London


  1940s
• Eysenck's job at the Maudsley


  To make an initial assessment of each patient before their mental disorder was diagnosed by a psychiatrist
• Eysenck didn't believe that offending behaviour is inherited directly, but rather a consequence of the type of nervous system we inherit which determines our personality
• Eysenck's view of criminal personality

  Linked to biological factors (an underactive NS) so always seeking attention and engaging in risk taking behaviors and the socialization process
• Eysenck's initial dimensions of personality

  • Introvert-Extravert (IE)
  • Neurotic-Stable (NS)
• Introversion-Extraversion


  • Preference for more stimulating environments
  • Preference for less stimulating environments
• Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI)

  A personality questionnaire used to measure the introversion-extraversion and neurotic-stable dimensions
• Eysenck carried out a questionnaire on soldiers being treated for neurotic illness
• Eysenck concluded that their answers suggested different personality traits
• Eysenck proposed that certain personality traits are more likely to commit crimes
• Neurotic-extravert


  The criminal type (according to Eysenck's theory)
• Extraversion


  • Individuals are sensation-seeking because their nervous system is chronically under-aroused
  • This leads them to seek out stimulation and excitement and engage in risk-taking behaviour
  • Extraverts also have a nervous system that does not condition easily, meaning that they do not learn from their mistakes
• Neuroticism


  • Individuals are emotionally unstable and anxious and therefore their behaviour may be unpredictable
• Combination of sensation-seeking, unpredictability and an inability to learn


  Leads the neurotic-extravert to be more likely to engage in criminal behaviours
• Psychoticism


  • Typically cold, uncaring, aggressive, and capable of cruelty
• Eysenck later added a third dimension to the "criminal personality" psychoticism
• An individual who scores highly in measures of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism cannot be easily conditioned and are cold, unfeeling and likely to engage in offending behaviour
• Supporting evidence


  • Eysenck assessed 2070 male prisoners who were compared to a control group of 2422 males
  • On measures of E, N and P, prisoners recorded higher scores than the control group which accords with the prediction of the theory
• Eysenck's Theory of the Criminal Personality

  • Takes into account both nature and nurture
  • Argues that biological predispositions towards certain personality traits combined with conditioning and socialisation during childhood create personality
  • Interactionist approach may be more valid than either a biological or environmental theory alone
  • Links with the diathesis stress model of behaviour which argues for a biological predisposition combining with an environmental trigger for a particular behaviour
• Our legal system is based on the premise that criminals have personal and moral responsibilities for their crimes, and only in extreme cases, such as a diagnosis of mental illness, can someone claim they were not acting under their own free will
• Viewing offending behaviour in terms of just 2 key dimensions is an oversimplification
• Contemporary theories of personality such as the 5 factor model suggest that other personality dimensions are important, such as openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness
• A neurotic-extravert may not necessarily become an offender, depending on their psychological make-up in relation to the other dimensions, which is a weakness of Eysenck's theory
• Eysenck's theory presents a dilemma in the field of criminality


  Our legal system is based on the premise that criminals have personal and moral responsibilities for their crimes, but the notion of a criminal personality suggests they are pre-determined to commit crime, raising ethical issues about what society does with these people