Page 1: Foundations of Eysenck's Criminal Personality Theory
Eysenck's personality theory proposes three fundamental dimensions that shape human behavior and potential criminal tendencies. The theory emphasizes biological underpinnings of personality traits and their relationship to criminal behavior.
Definition: Personality dimensions according to Eysenck include introversion-extraversion E, neuroticism-stability N, and psychoticism-sociability (P).
Vocabulary: Extraversion refers to outgoing, stimulation-seeking behavior, while neuroticism involves emotional instability and anxiety.
Example: Extraverts typically engage in risk-taking behaviors and may struggle to learn from past mistakes, potentially leading to repeated criminal activity.
Highlight: The criminal personality is characterized by high scores in all three dimensions: neurotic-extravert-psychotic.
The theory emphasizes socialization as a crucial factor in preventing criminal behavior, with proper socialization teaching delayed gratification. Research support comes from Eysenck and Eysenck's 1977 study comparing prisoner EPQ scores with control groups, though later meta-analyses show mixed results.