eyesenck’s peronality theory

• Eysenck's personality theory is based on the idea that people differ in their levels of neuroticism, extraversion, and psychoticism.
• key idea

  criminality is the result of a highly neurotic and highly extroverted personality type
• personality dimensions

  the criminal personality type is highly extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism
• why ENP?

  extraversion because- they seek excitement through rule breaking and impulsivity

  neuroticism because- they are highly anxious and are reluctant to follow rules and norms of society

  pyschoticism because- they rate solitary misfits who are more likely to be criminal and may have serious mental illness etc schizophrenia
• strengths

  • studies suggest that offenders tend towards high ENP
  • describes how some measurable tendencies may lead to criminality
• limitations

  • convicted offenders may not be typical of offenders on the whole
  • eyesenck used self report questionnaires -people may lie making the results invalid