psychological explanations - eysencks theory

• Eysencks theory of personality -

  • proposed that behaviour could be represented along two dimensions
  • introversion-extraversion - E
  • neuroticism-stability - N
  • 2 dimensions combine to form a variety of personality characteristics
  • 3rd dimension - psychoticism-sociability
• Eysencks theory of personality - biological basis

  • our personalities are biological in origin - nervous system
  • innate biological basis
  • Extraverts - underactive nervous system - excitement, stimulation and risk-taking behaviours - don't condition easily and don't learn from mistakes
  • Neurotic - high levels of reactivity in sympathetic nervous system - respond quickly to threat - nervous, jumpy and overanxious, cannot predict
  • psychotic - high levels of testosterone - unemotional, aggressive
• Eysencks theory of the criminal personality

  Criminal personality = neurotic-extravert-psychotic

  Neurotics - unstable - overreact to threat

  Extraverts - seek arousal - engage in dangerous activities

  Psychotics - aggressive and lack empathy
• Eysencks theory of the criminal personality - role of socialisation

  • personality is linked to offending behaviour via socialisation processes
  • offending behaviour = developmentally immature and selfish - immediate gratification
  • in socialisation children taught to delay gratification and more socially oriented
  • people with high E and N scores had nervous systems that made them difficult to condition - less likely to learn anxiety responses to antisocial impulses
• Eysencks theory of the criminal personality - measuring

  • Eysenck personality questionnaire - psychological test
  • locates respondents along the E, N and P dimensions to determine their personality type