2.2.2.5 - Eysenck (1947)

• Eysenck believed that criminality is a product of a particular personality type
• Eysenck believed that specific personalities were more likely to be criminals because they crave excitment
• Eysenck's original theory said that personalities varied along two dimensions:

  • Sociability
  • Emotional
• Sociability ranges from extraversion to introversion
• Emotional ranges from neurotic to stable
• Eysenck added a third dimension on which personality can be judged upon: Psychoticism
• High psychoticism is associated with being highly likely to commit criminal activity
• Those with high psychoticism scores are often:

  • Social msifits
  • Cruel
  • Insensitive
  • Aggressive
  • Lacking in empathy
  • Have high chances of serious psychiatric illnesses like schizophernia
• High psychoticism is said to be highly genetically determined
• The average person has a personality within the middle of all the dimensions and scales
• Criminals often have high extrovert, neurotic,and psychoticism tendencies
• A criminals high P, N, and E scores make it difficult for them to understand and control their impulses