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Eyesenck's Criminal Personality Theory - Coggle Diagram
Eyesenck's Criminal Personality Theory
Eyesenck believed that...
criminal behaviour had a biological basis and was due to high levels of three personality traits
Neurotocism
Worried
Jealous
Frustrated
Scared
Anxious
Lonely
Psychotocism
Impulsive
Aggressive
Uncaring
Extroversion
Often described as friendly and approachable
Open and willing to share
Solve problems through discussion
Love to talk
Energised by socialising
The Biology Of
Extraversion
So the
cerebral cortex
becomes under-aroused
Therefore they may seek stimulation and may turn to illegal means to get it
The reticular activating system in the brain restricts too much incoming stimuli from the environment
For example, stealing cars and joyriding
The Biology Of
Neurotocism
The
limbic systems
of neurotics are thought to be over-aroused
The Biology Of
Psychotocism
Psychoticism is linked to high levels of
dopamine
People with high levels of psychoticism could be more likely to commit a violent crime
Criticisms
It is
unlikely
that all criminals share the same personality type
Eysenck’s theory is criticised for being
deterministic
. By focusing on the genetic element of criminal personality, it suggests criminals do not have control over their own behaviour. This may discourage criminals from taking responsibility for their actions.
IAlso ignores individual differences
Ignores the role of nurture
Eyesenck’s theory does not focus enough on the role of nurture. Rather than being because of biologically determined personality traits, criminal behaviour may be more down to how we were raised. For example, criminals may have observed and imitated the illegal behaviour of their parents or siblings.