Delinquent personality types and the situational contexts of their crimes

Eysenck's theory is quoted as an example of a dispositional crime theory. This is in direct contrast to situational crime theory which rejects the notion of the influence of fixed psychological characteristics and stresses the importance of immediate situational stimuli in the explanation of crime. Recent studies of Eysenck's theory have argued the heterogeneity of personality types in the delinquent population, and following Eysenck's suggestion the offences committed by different personality types have been investigated. In the absence of positive results the present research seeks to progress beyond the offence label to compare different personality types on a range of offence-related situational features. This is viewed as an attempt to accommodate situational considerations in what remains essentially a dispositional approach. Similar deliquent personality types to recent studies merge, but they could not be distinguished across the situational-context factors of their offences. However, an alternative methodology to investigate this question is proposed.     

Values and personality: a survey of their relationship in the case of juvenile delinquece

Attempts to verify Eysenck's theory of criminality have usually been concerned with the proportion by which delinquents differ from non-delinguents on the dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism. There are very few studies concerned with the proportion in which these dimensions are related to the acquisition of moral or social rules, the real core of this theory. The current study examines the theory from a new approach, trying to show in what measure the value priorities of a group of 113 juvenile delinquents are related to the personality dimensions stated by Eysenck.     

A six orthogonal factor model of adolescent personality derived from the HSPQ

Attention is drawn to recent major critiques of Cattell's ‘16 PF’ model of personality. Various six/seven-factor models of personality (assuming intelligence is included) derived from the 16 PF or its precursors are described. The equation of Eysenck's E and N factors with Cattell's second-order factors of ‘exvia’ and ‘anxiety’ is mentioned. An examination is made of the problems of factored scale construction and the ‘number of factors’ issue, especially when item responses are analysed.Three previous second-order factor solutions to the HSPQ are presented. These show a remarkable degree of concordance among themselves and with an item analysis of the HSPQ conducted by the writers. This item analysis also reveals serious doubts about the primary trait structure proposed by Cattell and Cattell (1969). It is suggested that, for adolescents, the four studies, with some support from the 16 PF analyses, point to a six-factor structure for personality consisting of anxiety ( = Eysenck's N); tender-tough-mindedness ( = Eysenck's Psychoticism); carefulness-casualness and two aspects of extraversion-introversion: (a) preference for working with people rather than with things. (b) Classical extraversion (the last or both (a) and (b) being analogous to Eysenck's E) and finally intelligence, if this can be classified as an aspect of personality.     

Personality and sexuality

Although Eysenck's book Sex and Personality would seem to have broad implications for understanding sexual behavior, there has been relatively little empirical research that has attempted to test Eysenck's theory. The present research tested aspects of this theory by examining the correlations between personality characteristics and a variety of sexual attitudes and behavior in a sample of male Canadian college students. Results were, for the most part, supportive of Eysenck's theory. Extraverts were characterized by a hedonistic outlook on sex and by more active participation in a variety of sexual activities. High P scorers were characterized by more favorable attitudes to and enjoyment of force and unconventional sexual activities. Correlations with the N scale were, in general, not statistically significant. High L scores were associated with more negative attitudes toward sex, and lower reporting for virtually all types of sexual activity.     

A comparison of the Guilford and Eysenck factors of personality

The correlations of factor scores from the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) with factor scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were compared to predictions made by Guilford and Eysenck regarding the structure of personality. Factor structure of the GZTS was consistent with Guilford's proposed model. Eysenck's Neuroticism was strongly associated with Guilford's Emotional Stability (E) and E plus Objectivity (O) factors. Eysenck's Psychoticism had no counterpart on the GZTS, although it was associated with Restraint (R). EPI-Extraversion was related to both Guilford's Social Activity (SA) and Introversion-Extraversion (IE) second-order factors, while EPQ-Extraversion was related only to SA. Findings are discussed in terms of Eysenck's evolving definition of Extraversion and the emerging importance of the Impulsivity primary factor.     

Personality variables and cognitive inconsistency

The present research studied the relationships between personality variables and cognitive inconsistency. Cognitive inconsistency was defined on the basis of the cognitive orientation theory of Kreitler and Kreitler (1972, 1976) as inconsistency and three personality variables: Extraversion, Cattell's factor “Independence” and Cattell's factor “Radicalism- Conservatism”. The implications of these results to Eysenck's and Cattell's theories were discussed.     

Factor analytic examination of Kline's scales for psychoanalytic concepts

Seventeen personality scales were administered to 133 subjects to investigate the relation of three new psychoanalytically-derived scales to the personality scales of Howarth and Eysenck, respectively. A previous study (Howarth, 1980a) suggested that Kline's oral optimism scale related to Eysenck's extraversion scale, oral pessimism to neuroticism, and Kline's anal syndrome scale to Eysenck's psychoticism scale. In order to investigate this further Eysenck's scales were included as well as ten scales of Howarth's and Kline's three scales. The factors found among the 17 variables were: I. Anxiety; II. Psychoticism; III. Sociability; IV. Anality; V. Lie scale; VI. Conscience.The present study found that the anal scale was relatively independent of all of Eysenck's ‘superfactor’ scales and did not verify the possibility that this anal scale might relate to psychoticism (as measured by Eysenck). However, the present study verified the previously found relation between oral optimism and extraversion and, of the three Kline scales, oral pessimism related more to psychoticism than the anal syndrome scale.     

Study habits and Eysenck's theory of extraversion-introversion

Predictions derived from Eysenck's theory of personality were tested in two samples by relating extraversion scores to library study locations, frequency of study breaks, and self-report of factors which influence study location. The predicted main effects for study location were found, with extraverts occupying locations that provided greater external stimulation. Positive correlations were consistently found between extraversion and preferred level of noise, preferred level of socializing opportunities, and rated importance of socializing opportunities. The prediction that extraverts would take more frequent study breaks was supported in Sample 1 but not replicated in Sample 2. The data are interpreted as providing direct support for Eysenck's theory of behavioral differences and mixed indirect support for his theory of neurological differences between introverts and extraverts.     

Properties of the diffuse thalamocortical system and human personality: A direct test of Pavlovian/Eysenckian theory

Advances in the last few decades demonstrate the relevance of Pavlov's classification of behavioural types with respect to human individual differences and suggest that the hypothetical excitatory and inhibitory processes which he associated with these differences correspond to cortical and thalamic neuron populations of the diffuse thalamocortical system (DTS). Since the transmission properties or time constants of these DTS elements would correspond to the Pavlovian property of ‘strength’, and since they can be evaluated in human subjects (Robinson, 1981), it is possible to formulate hypotheses based on the fundamental principles of strength and balance which Pavlov employed to provide a causal explanation for temperamental types. A major finding is that covariation of the time constants equated with strength correlates 0.95 with covariation of extraversion and stability scores on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). This result provides unequivocal support for the relationship between human individual differences and properties of the nervous system postulated by Pavlov and it also confirms the neurophysiological underpinning of Eysenck's influential theory of human personality. In addition, the relationship between Pavlovian and Eysenckian concepts is clarified and EEG parameters are meaningfully related to personality differences.     

Psychoticism and marital satisfaction

The author has tested the hypothesis that psychoticism, as described in Eysenck's theory of personality, is related to marriage outcome. Thirty happy and 30 unhappy couples answered the Eysencks' EPQ questionnaire. The unhappy husbands and unhappy wives scored significantly higher on the P scale than their happy counterparts respectively. The results suggest that psychoticism (like neuroticism) may impair the marriage satisfaction. In addition, happily married spouses show greater similarity with respect to personality than do unhappily married spouses. Thus the results support the likeness and go counter to the complementaries theories of marital satisfaction.     

The influence of psychoticism and extraversion on classical eyelid conditioning using a paraorbital shock UCS

An experiment is described in which the effects of Psychoticism and Extraversion on classical eyelid conditioning were examined using a balanced design involving two levels of paraorbital shock intensity and two levels of response threshold. Questionnaire measures of Anxiety and Impulsivity were also analysed together with subjective ratings of the UCS. Results were broadly consistent with Eysenck's personality theory in that subjects scoring high on Psychoticism demonstrated lower levels of conditioning.     

The theory of incubation: a reply to Bersh

Bersh's critique of Eysenck's theory of incubation is summarized, and some arguments are presented to indicate that while some criticisms are pertinent, they do not invalidate the theory.     

Personality correlates of offence style

The relationship between style of offending, recorded with a 45‐item self‐report inventory (the D45), and personality, as assessed by the Element B measure of FIRO theory (Schutz, 1958, 1992, 1994) was examined for 207 young offenders. Different styles of offending behaviour were identified with a Smallest Space Analysis (SSA‐I) of co‐occurrence among the 45 criminal and deviant behaviours in the D45. This revealed differentiation between Person and Property offences and between Expressive and Instrumental aspects of these styles. Examination of the Element B measures as external variables on the SSA‐I plot revealed a number of relationships between interpersonal personality and offence style. Overall variations in offence style related more clearly to aspects of Control than to interpersonal elements of Inclusion. Property offences, especially acts of vandalism, tended to be committed by individuals who reported higher levels of control from others (Received Control) than did Person offences. Expressive Person style crimes, typically behaviours incorporating violence, or threats thereof, especially where a weapon was involved, reported higher levels of the need for power and dominance (Expressed Control) in their interpersonal relationships. Offenders involved in Expressive Property crimes tended to be individuals for whom other people were felt to be more emotionally open and intimate (Received Openness) than other offenders. The conceptual and theoretical ramifications of this evidence for a differential relationship between personality and style of offending are explored as they relate to Investigative Psychology and ‘Offender Profiling’. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extraversion,neuroticism, psychoticism and self-reported delinquency: Evidence from eight separate samples

Eight separate samples of high school and university students (Total N = 410) in Britain and Canada were used to test predictions from Eysenck's theory that delinquents should be high scorers on scales of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Self-report paper- and pencil-questionnaire measures of both personality and delinquency were administered under conditions that ensured anonymity. The evidence showed clear support for a relationship between high delinquency scores and high scores on both extraversion and psychoticism. These relationships held up across diverse samples and different ways of analyzing the data. No support was found for a relationship between delinquency scores and the dimension of neuroticism.     

The relationship between Eysenck's major personality dimensions and simultaneous and sequential processing in children

The present study reexamined Eysenck's hypothesis that intelligence and personality are uncorrelated. Intelligence was measured with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, yielding scores for simultaneous and sequential processing and achievement, and the Woodcock-Johnson Brief Scale. Personality was assessed with the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Ss were 105 children, ages 8$\text{1}\text{2}$10$\text{1}\text{2}$yr. Although a process as well as a product-oriented intelligence test was employed, the correlational and discriminant analyses supported Eysenck's original hypothesis.     

A new approach to Eysenck's theory of criminality

Studies examining Eysenck's theory of criminality by contrasting delinquent and non-delinquent groups have produced equivocal results. Some studies have shown criminals to score higher, as the theory predicts, on psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion, whilst other studies have not. The current study examines the theory from a new approach by using cluster analysis to demonstrate the heterogeneity of personality types in delinquent sample (N =100) and in a comparison group (N = 100).Four personality types were found in each group. Two personality types which were present in the delinquent sample were not found in the comparison group. The first type consisted of individuals scoring high on neuroticism and extraversion whilst the second type consisted of individuals scoring high on psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion. These types appeared to be consistent with Eysenck's theory of criminality.     

Extraversion and attitude towards capital punishment

Male and female Canadian undergraduate students identified as extraverts or introverts on the basis of the Eysenck Personality Inventory were administered a questionnaire measuring attitude towards Capital Punishment. Both effects of sex and personality were significant, males and extraverts reporting stronger beliefs in Capital Punishment than females and introverts. These results were interpreted as providing support for Eysenck's proposal that the social attitude dimension of Toughmindedness reflects the personality trait of Extraversion.     

Eysenck's theory of incubation: A critical analysis

Eysenck's theory of incubation is summarized. Arguments and evidence concerning its validity and potential value are presented.