Hans Eysenck’s Biological Typology and The Five-Factor Model

Hans Eysenck’s Biological Typology

Researcher at Mill Hill Emergency Hospital.
After the war, he began work at the Maudsley Hospital.
Traveled to the US in 1949 to examine and evaluate clinical psychology programs at various universities.
- He came to three major conclusions about the shortcomings of clinical training and practice:
  - Clinical psychologists were subordinate to psychiatrists.
  - Many clinical psychologists slavishly utilized psychoanalytic concepts in their therapeutic work.
  - Clinicians depended too heavily on projective tests, even though they were unreliable and invalid.
Upon his return to England, he created an independent department of psychology, moving away from psychoanalysis and developing a program of study that was strongly scientific in orientation, with a focus on the interdependence of clinical and experimental work.
He published approximately 80 books, including some for the general public, and 1,100 journal articles.

Psychology has two major orientations:
- Experimental psychology: Individual differences.
- Personality psychology: Brought by behavioral approach, ignored empirical evidence.
Work together for complete assessment of individuals.
The study of personality uses a personality approach in proving and gathering data and explaining findings based on what was gathered in the study of personality.

What is required is a more theoretical approach.
Use of experimental tests:
- Identifying the main dimensions of personality.
- Devising means of measuring them.
- Linking them with experimental, quantitative procedures.

Personality: A more or less stable and enduring organization of a person’s character, temperament, intellect, and physique, which determines his unique adjustment to the environment.

Extraversion-define trait/type of a person and based from interrelated habitual responses
How traits of a person are formed:
- Specific responses
- Habitual responses
- Various traits
- Specific type of personality

E (Extraversion):
- Sociable
- Lively
- Active
- Assertive
- Sensation-seeking
- Carefree
- Dominant
- Surgent
- Venturesome
N (Neuroticism):
- Anxious
- Depressed
- Guilt feelings
- Low self-esteem
- Tense
- Irrational
- Shy
- Moody
- Emotional
P (Psychoticism):
- Aggressive
- Cold
- Egocentric
- Impersonal
- Impulsive
- Antisocial
- Unempathic
- Creative
- Tough-minded

Extraverts – sociable and impulsive individuals who like excitement and who are oriented toward external reality.
Introverts – quiet, introspective individuals who are oriented toward inner reality and who prefer a well-ordered life.

Neurotics - They are emotionally unstable individuals.
They may have low self-esteem and be prone to guilt feelings.
The hallmark of the disorder for most neurotics is an anxiety level disproportionate to the realities of the situation.

Psychotics - It shows the most severe type of psychopathology; insensitive to others, hostile, cruel, and inhumane, with a strong need to make fools of people and to upset them.
People who score high in psychoticism can be highly creative.

These three dimensions are the major individual difference types that are most useful in describing personality functioning.

People are born with innate predispositions to respond in a particular way to the environment.
Environment and genes could interact to produce a particular behavior that plays a stronger role.
Human beings are biosocial creatures.

Eysenck found the strong genetic basis of the primary personality types confirmed in three ways:
1. The same three personality orientations are found universally.
2. These traits show stability within given individuals over long periods of time.
3. The evidence provided by twin studies is consistent with the genetic hypothesis.

According to Eysenck, socialized conduct is mediated by conscience, which he defines as the sum total of an individual’s learned or conditioned responses.

Distal antecedents lead to Proximal antecedents which in turn lead to Personality (PEN) and then to Proximal consequences and finally to Distal consequences.
Distal Antecedents:
- DNA
- Genetic personality determinants
Proximal Antecedents:
- Limbic system arousal
- Biological intermediaries
Personality (PEN):
- Psychometric trait constellations
Proximal Consequences:
- Conditioning
- Sensitivity
- Vigilance
- Perception
- Memory
- Reminiscence
- Experimental studies
Distal Consequences:
- Sociability
- Criminality
- Creativity
- Psychopathology
- Sexual behavior
- Social behavior

Paul Costa:
- 1964 B.A., Clark University, in psychology
- 1968 M.A., Univ. of Chicago, in human development
- 1970 Ph.D., Univ. of Chicago, in human development
Robert McCrae:
- 1971 B.A., Michigan State University in philosophy
- 1974 M.A., Boston University, in personality psychology
- 1976 Ph.D., Boston University, in personality psychology

The factors were confirmed through a variety of assessment techniques including self-ratings, objective tests, and observers’ reports.
They developed a personality test, the NEO Personality Inventory, using an acronym derived from the initials of the first three factors.