Individual differences explanation 1 - Eysenck criminal personality Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is the A01 Content?
- Describe the theory
- Explain the biological basis
- Link to criminal behaviour
What are the three measures of personality Eyesencks questionnaire created?
- Extraversion ( they are characterised as outgoing and having positive emotions, they may get bored easily)
- Neuroticism ( tend to experience negative emotional states rather than positive)
- Psychoticism ( lack empathy, are egocentric, aggressive and impulsive they aren’t concerned about the welfare of others.
What did Eysenck suggest about a biological basis?
He suggested that each trait has a biological basis that is mainly innate.
How is extraversion determined?
Extraversion is determined by the overall level of arousal in a persons nervous system. Their nervous system is under-aroused and they seek external stimulation to arouse this.
How is neuroticism determined?
Determined by the level of stability in ht nervous system, how they respond in threat. Neurotic people are unstable and easily upset under pressure.
How is psychoticism determined?
Related to higher levels of testosterone, usually men found here more commonly.
How do extraverts link to criminal behaviour?
As their nervous system is under aroused they seek arousal from external situations and therefore engage in dangerous activities.
How does Neuroticism link to criminal behaviour?
As they tend to be unstable and often over react to threatening situations.
How does psychoticism link to criminal behaviour?
Individuals are prone to aggression and lack empathy.
How does our personality influence our socialisation?
When we are younger we are socialised to learn what behaviour is acceptable or not through conditioning, our ability to be socialised and learn from this conditioning is influenced by these personalities.
Link between extraversion/ neuroticism and conditioning.
Extraverts and neuroticisms take much longer to condition as they are less fearful meaning that they have poor socialisation and are more likely to commit crime.
Evaluation - Research support
McDougall conducted research on 100 students labelled as delinquent and 100 students labelled non deliquent. They carried out Eyesencks personality quiz and found that the 100 delinquent students scored high on extraversion and neuroticism some also scored high on psychoticism. The other group scored low all across the board.
Evaluation - Limited explanation.
A weakness of Eysenck’s criminal personality theory is that it assumes there is just one type of criminal personality. However, Digman’s (1990) Five-Factor Model suggests personality is more complex and includes traits like agreeableness and conscientiousness, which are also linked to criminality. Research shows that people low in agreeableness and conscientiousness are more likely to engage in crime, meaning Eysenck’s theory may be too simplistic and incomplete.
Evaluation - Interactionist
This is considered a strength as it takes into account both biological and environmental factors. Argues that there may be a genetic predisposition but this is not inevitable and the interaction with the environment is what triggers it. Supports a diathesis stress model. Helps explain why MZ twins do not have a 100% concordance rate for criminal behaviour which has been shown in studies.
Evaluation - Cause and effect
This could be a weakness due to lack of support from longitudinal studies. Most research is conducted on criminal groups therefore it could be argued that being a criminal causes these personality traits. A study was conducted on prisoners and high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism were found so this is partial support but not full and could explain that criminality leads to these traits.
Evaluation - Personality may not be consistent
This theory assumes that personality is consistent. However psychologists usually support a situational perspective suggesting that people may be similar in some situations but not all. E.g., someone may be relaxed and calm at home but not at work.
