Eyesneck

• Outline Eyesneck theory?

  Eyesenck suggested that our personality type has a biological basis determined by our inherited nervous system i.e. how easily aroused the nervous system is that is innate and inherited. 
• what was Eyesneck method?

  Eysenck assessed personalities using the EPI (Eysenck’s Personality Inventory) which is a reliable questionnaire assessing participants across three main dimensions : Extraversion or introversion (how aroused the nervous system is) ; Neuroticsm and stability (how easily triggered the nervous system is) ; and Psychoticsm and sociability which was added later. 
• What did eyesneck find?

  offender personality is PEN because extraverts constantly need excitement so engage in risk taking behaviours, neurotics are unstable, unpredictable and struggle to regulate their behaviour, and psychotics are more likely to be impulsive, aggression and lack empathy.

  offending behaviour is closely linked to socialisation, believing that without it, delayed gratification cannot be learnt. People who score high on extraversion and neuroticism have nervous systems that are harder to condition socialisation into meaning they become antisocial over time.
• what are the strengths of Eysenck?

  supporting research

  questionnaires
• elaborate on supporting research for Eysenck?

  Evidence for this comes from Eysenck & Eysenck in 1977 who assessed 2070 male prisoners and a control group of 2422 males. On measures of E, N and P, prisoners recorded higher scores than the control group. Furthermore, in 1981 McGurk and McDougall gave the EPQ to 100 convicted criminals and 100 trade based students aged 17-20. The results showed a higher number of people with extraverted, neurotic, psychotic personalities in the group of offenders adding credibility to the theory. 
• elaborte on questionnaires as a strength for Eysenck?

  The use of questionnaires holds a balance between subjective personal experiences to increase ecological validity but also objective results than can have statistical testing done to increase validity, which is further reinforced by the large sample size. 
• what are the weaknesses of Eysenck?

  questionnaires

  cultural relativism

  simplistic
• elaborate on questionnaires as a weakness for Eysenck?

  However the use of questionnaires also has weaknesses as it relies on interpretation and self report which could lend itself to social desirability bias as offenders alter the truth to seem “harder”. Additionally, the results can only generalise to male offenders further reducing the validity of the research. 
• elaborate on cultural relativism as a weakness for Eysenck?

  Another weakness of Eysencks theory came from Bartol and Holanchock in 1979 who suggested it lacks cultural relativism. This was evidenced from their study into Hispanic and african-American offenders, where they found that the offenders were less extraverted than a control group, suggesting that eysencks theory can not be generalised universally and therefore only holds cultural bound explanatory power. 
• elaborate on simplistic as a weakness for Eysenck?

  by only having three classifications it oversimplifies the nature of offenders and holds a reductionist perspective, as personality types may vary depending on situations and is not a fixed self which can be used to predict criminal behaviour. 

  Also, the theory does not distinguish between one off adolescent offending and ‘career criminals’ who commit repeat offences. Career criminals may be motivated by more than just personality, for instance environmental factors. Therefore, his theory does not address these more complex factorS