Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Eysenck's Criminal Personality Theories and the biological basis of…
Eysenck's Criminal Personality Theories and the biological basis of personality
Known for his work on intelligence and personality
Three personality traits -
All born with these traits but to varying degrees depending on genetic inheritance
Extraversion
someone who scores highly on extraversion will be an extrovert, someone who scores low would be an intorvert
Outgoing, sociable and confident
Neuroticism
Someone who score high here would be seen as neurotic
Anxious angry feel guilt
Psychoticism
Someone who scores high here would be seen as psychotic
impulsive, aggressive and selfish
Devised questionnaires to score these three personality traits
Criminals tend to score highly on each three scales
Central nervous system
Extroverison
Criminality can be linked to under-arousal in the CNS
The Reticular activation system (RAS) is the part of the brain stem that links the brain and spinal cord
and regulate the stimuli sent to the cerebral cortex
Eysenck argued that in
extroverts
the cerebral cortex is under-aroused because the stimuli is restricted by the RAS
The celebral cortex is hungry for stimuli which can be gained through risky, lawless behaviour Extroverts also have a stronger dopamine reward system which means they respond more positively to reinforces like sex an money- to the point they acquire it illegally
Neuroticism
Autonomic nervous system - Activated during emotional situations -regulates activity to limbic system
The ANS becomes over around in neurotics leading to higher levels of violence
Psychoticism
Excess amount of dopamine in over -production cause by the dopaminergic neurons
Leads to less inhibition of impulses in the brain during synaptic Transmission
Criminals
Characteristics of psychotics tend to be more related to crime
Criminals are often extroverts as people with this trait need a lot of stimulation as they are often thrill seekers. Excitement comes form criminal activity
Criminals are often neurotic they often become stuck in patterns of behaviour to relieve high anxiety levels which can include criminal behaviour
Their high anxiety can get in the way of attempts to punish criminal or antisocial behaviour and as a result, they don't easily learn from previous mistakes.
E + N together
High levels of both may be difficult to condition
children with both may be more reistant to early socialisation and therefore parents and others in socialisation will have to work harder to divert them from crime.
Doesn't mean they necessarily become criminals but may find an occupation that pleases their pleasure -seeking behaviour such as business or politician
Criticisms of the theory
It ignores individual differences, Rather than recognise the uniqueness of everyone he tried to catergorise them in broad catergories. critics argue its wrong to lump together neorutic extroverts (the most likely to commit crime) and assume they have similar reasons for turning to crime.
With such a range of crimes it sees unlikely that criminals share a similar personality - Someone who robs may not hav ethe same personality as someone who murders
Eysencks theory can be seen as too deterministic - The theory suggests that people are born with this personality type and therefor their chance of becoming criminals is mainly driven by biology.
The concept of psychoticism is not useful - some do not believe that this causes criminal behaviour they argue that it is just a definition of criminal behaviour
