Amy Barratt
Upper 6 Business
Sociology
19th September 2023
“How did Hans Eysenck’s theory explain why crime/deviance occur?”
Hans Eysenck was a well-known psychologist who proposed a theory to explain why crime and
deviance occur. Individuals that participate in deviant and criminal behaviour, according to his
view, have a certain personality structure that makes them more inclined to engage in these
actions. According to Eysenck, this personality structure is defined by a mixture of three traits:
extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. With regards to this essay, it shall explain how
Hans Eysenck’s theory explained why crime and deviance occurs.
Personality can be defined as the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determines his characteristics, behaviour and thought. Personality
can also be defined as the characteristics that make a person unique. According to Hans
Eysenck's theory of criminal personality, personality is biologically grounded, and personality
qualities include extraversion and neuroticism aspects that may be assessed using a personality
test.
Undoubtedly, Extraversion is a biological desire for high or low degrees of external stimulation
that is governed by a person's central and autonomic nervous system arousal. This suggests that
those with strong extraversion have low arousal, requiring more contextual stimuli to fuel their
enthusiasm. This environmental stimulation may involve criminal behaviour in the context of
forensic psychology. Extraverts are gregarious and want excitement and variety, therefore they
might grow bored fast. They are carefree, cheerful, and spontaneous. They are more prone to
taking chances and seek thrills. According to Eysenck, this is because they inherit an understimulated nervous system and seek stimulation to restore the degree of optimal stimulation.
On the other hand, Introverts are at the other end of the spectrum, being reserved and silent. They
are already overly stimulated and avoid feeling and stimulus. Introverts are reserved, prepare
their behaviours, and maintain emotional control. They are serious, dependable, and pessimistic.
According to well-known psychologists, introverts are those who prefer to increase via reflection
and decline while engaging with others. Individuals with introverted personalities can be
successful in vocations such as authors, painters, and scientists since working independently is
essential in these disciplines.
Moreover, Neuroticism is the characteristic inclination to feel unpleasant effects such as wrath,
anxiety, self-consciousness, irritability, emotional instability, and sadness. The responsiveness of
a person's sympathetic nervous system determines their amount of neuroticism. A stable person's
nervous system will be less reactive to stressful conditions, allowing them to stay calm and levelheaded. Someone with a high neuroticism level, on the other hand, may be considerably more
unstable, prone to overreacting to stimuli, and may be easily agitated, angry, or fearful.
Consequently, Psychoticism is characterized by a lack of empathy, cruelty, being a loner, being
aggressive, and being problematic. This has been linked to increased testosterone levels. The
higher the amount of psychoticism, the higher the level of testosterone, with lower levels
associated with more typical balanced behaviour. Eysenck claimed that psychoticism was the
third dimension of personality, with high levels resulting in reckless and irresponsible behaviour.
He suspected that their actions were motivated by a need for instant satisfaction, regardless of the
repercussions. This would explain why people who score high on the psychoticism scale make
decisions with potentially disastrous implications. Eysenck's notion of psychoticism is connected
to someone suffering from psychosis, a diagnosable disease characterized by hallucinations and
delusions.
To conclude, Eysenck's theory also suggests that these personality traits are largely inherited,
meaning that individuals who have a family history of criminal behaviour or mental illness may
be more likely to exhibit these traits and engage in deviant behaviours. While Eysenck's theory
has been criticized for oversimplifying the complex nature of criminal behaviour, it has
contributed to our understanding of the role of personality in criminal and deviant behaviours.