ESSAY PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF OFFENDING - DISCUSS EYSENCK’S THEORY OF THE CRIMINAL PERSONALITY

where do personality traits come from

They are biological - expressed through the nervous system we inherit

What 3 personalies did Eysenck propose criminals have

Extraverts, neurotics, psychotics

EXTRAVERTS

Underactive nervous system, constantly seeking excitement and stimulation and engaging in risky behaviours

NEUROTICS

Nervous, jumpy, over anxious and unpredictable

PSYCHOTICS

Cold, unemotional and prone to aggressii

SOCIALISATION PROCESSES

Personality is linked to criminal behaviour via socialisation processes. Socialisation teaches us as children to delay gratification and become more socially oriented

HOW DO WE BECOME MORE SOCIALLY ORIENTED

Through conditioning. When children act immaturely, theyre punished and completely associate anxiety with antisocial behaviour

HIGH EXTRAVERSION AND NEUROTICISM

Eysenck believed people with high scores on these aspects had nervous systems that made them difficult to condition. As a result they find it harder to respond to antisocial influences w anxiety. Therefore they’re developmentalky immature + want instant gratification - more likely to be criminals

STRENGTH - SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Eysenck & Eysenck compared 2070 male prisoners scores on the EPI (eysenck personality inventory) with 2422 controls. They found that on all 3 measures, the scores were higher for the prisoners compared to the controls. Strength bc it supports Eysencks assumptions that criminal and antisocial behaviour may be related to high scores on these personality traits

WEAKNESS - Opposing evidence

Farrington conducted a meta analysis and reviewed the relationship between the three traits and criminal convictions. They found that in the majority of cases offenders scored higher on psychoticism, but not on the other two. Weakness as it demonstrates the relationship between personality traits and offender behaviour as being inconsistent

WEAKNESS - idea of a single criminal personalityhas been criticised

Single criminal personality has been criticised. Suggested there are many different thpes of criminal personality. Moffit proposed different types of pffenders based on the thpe of criminal personality has and how its carried out. Therefore the idea that theres only one criminality type could be considered an over simplistic view of criminal personality

WEAKNESS - Criminal personality may vary according to culture

Bartol and Holanchock studied Hispanic and african american offenders in a high maximum security prison. The offenders were divided into 6 groups based on their offending history and nature of offence. It was found that all 6 groups were less extraverted than a non offender control group. They suggested this was because the sample was a very different cultural group to that first investigated by Eysenck. This is a weakness bc it questions how far the criminal personality can be generalised