Eyesenck's theory of criminality

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General personality theory
Behaviour can be represented by introversion/extroversion, neuroticism/stability and psychoticism was added alter.
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Biological basis
He linked personality with the nervous system. Extraverts have an underactive nervous system, likely to be risk takers and not conditioned easily, neurotics are anxious and behaviour is difficult to predict
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Criminal personality type
Criminals tend to score highly in psychoticism, they are cold, not emotional and agressive, you can also be a neurotic extravert which is when you have a combination of all the characteristics
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Role of socialisation
Criminal behaviour is developmentally immature, they are selfish and want immediete gratification, children are taught to delay gratification
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Measuring criminal personality
You can measure personality by Eyesenck's personality inventory, it is test which locates respondents along E and N dimensions to determine personality type. P was also added later
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Idea of a single criminal type has been criticised
The 5 factor model of personality was proposed, additional dimensions added were openess, agreebleness and conscientousness. Multiple combinations of personality is available, high E and N scores doesn't make offending inevitible
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Cultural bias-Bartol and Holanock
Compared African Americans with Hispanics, all were less extravert than non criminal control, these results are very differnt to eyesenck's showing he was culturally bias
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Mis-measurement of personlity
Built on premise that you can measure personality through psychological tests, our personality changes depending on situation, there maybe no fixed true self directing behaviour criminal or otherwise
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Biological basis criticisms
It suffered the same limitation of biological explanations as it does have a biological bases. Such as determinism and reductionism
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Supporting evidence- Eyesenck and Eyesenck
Compared male prisinors with controlls, the prisinors recorded higher scores on P, N and E dimensions suggesting his theory was correct
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Supporting evidence- Farrington
Offenders scored highly on P measures not E and N, he also found their wsa no consistent EEG evidence of differences between E adn N dimensions which casts doubt on the physiological basis of the theory
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Card 2

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Biological basis

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He linked personality with the nervous system. Extraverts have an underactive nervous system, likely to be risk takers and not conditioned easily, neurotics are anxious and behaviour is difficult to predict

Card 3

Front

Criminal personality type

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Role of socialisation

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Measuring criminal personality

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Preview of the front of card 5
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