Forensics : Physiological explanation Eysenck's theory's

What is the basic idea behind personality theory in offending?

Argues that stable, innate traits strongly influence behaviour, so some people may be predisposed to criminal behaviour because of their personality

Why is Eysenck important in explaining offending?

He proposed that personality can be measured along dimensions and certain combination, (high extrovert ,neuroticism and psychoticism) form a criminal personality profile linked to offending

What are Eysenck’s original personality dimensions ?

Extraversion and Neuroticism . They increase risk taking and impulsivity which relate to offending

Why did Eysenck add Psychoticism?

Psychoticism includes aggression, cruelty , manipulation and impulsivity. These traits closely match antisocial and criminal behaviour

What biological explanation did Eysenck give for extraversion?

Extraverts have an underactive nervous system so they seek stimulation ,increases risk taking , making offending more likely

Why are introverts less likely to offend?

Avoid excitment and conflict , they are less drawn to risk or antisocial acts

Why does neuroticism increase offending risks?

Neurotic individuals are anxious, stressed and unpredictable, they act impulsively increasing the chance of offending

Why is psychoticism strongly linked to criminality?

High psychoticism involves aggression, impulsivity, manipulation, lack of guilt

These traits align with violent and antisocial offending

What is Eysenck personality inventory?

A questionnaire measuring extrovertism , neuroticism and psychoticism using yes or no items

Identifying individuals with a criminal personality profile

What personality pattern did Eysenck claim criminals scored high on?

Extraversion , neuroticism, and psychoticism

Predicting risk taking , impulsivity and a lack of empathy linked to offending

Why does high extraversion contribute to offending?

High extroversion leads to sensation seeking and risk taking, increasing the likelihood of criminal or thrill seeking behaviour

Why does high neuroticism contribute to offending?

High neuroticism causes emotional instability and poor self control

Makes impulsive offending more likely

Why does high psychoticism contribute to offending?

High psychodism involves low empathy, aggression and manipulation. Matching traits seen in violent and antisocial offenders

What did Singh and Rani find about criminal personality?

looked at 100 criminals , the criminales scored higher on extrovertism , neuroticism and psychoticism

Supporting Eysencks claim that offenders show this personality pattern

What did Singh find about female truants?

Turants (student that don’t goes to school for ilegitmet reasons) scored higher on extraversion and neuroticism showing impulsivity and poor socialisation , suggesting these traits relate to antisocial behaviour

Why is Eysenck personality inventory a strength of Esencks’s theory?

It is a standardised, reliable measure allowing consistent comparison of offenders and non offenders . This supports the idea of a criminal personality profile

Why is Eysenck’s theory considered holistic?

It combines biologi cal arousal system with psychological traits , this gives a broader explanation of why some people offend

Why is Eysncks’s theory reductionist?

It reduces criminal behaviour to three personality scores, ignoring environment and social factors. This oversimplifies why people offend

Why does Eysencks theory lack explanatory power (effectively explain) ?

It describes what traits criminals have but not why those traits develop, does not fully explain the causes of offending

How does eysencks theory show a nomothetic approach (universal laws on a large group of poeple)?

It identifies universal personality traits across offenders using large scale testing. This helps find general patterns in criminal behavior

How would an idiographic approach differ to the nomothetic approach evident in eysenck’s theory?

It focuses on personal experiences and unique histories. This might explain individual individual pathways to offending better than broad personality dimensions