Psychological explanations of offending behaviour: Eysenck’s theory of the…

The idea

Eysenck proposed the criminal personality is characterised by high extraversion (seeking stimulation), neuroticism (reactive), and psychoticism (lacking empathy). Cognitive explanations focus on faulty thinking. Kohlberg suggested offenders often show pre-conventional moral reasoning, driven by avoiding punishment and gaining rewards. Cognitive distortions are irrational thoughts justifying crime: hostile attribution bias misinterprets ambiguous cues as aggressive, while minimalisation downplays the severity of an offence (e.g., calling theft 'borrowing'). Finally, Sutherland’s differential association theory posits that offending is learned through interactions, acquiring pro-criminal attitudes and specific criminal techniques that outweigh anti-criminal values.

What earns the marks

• Outline Eysenck's three dimensions (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism) and their biological basis in nervous system arousal.
• Explain Kohlberg's pre-conventional level of moral reasoning as a driver for offending behaviour based on reward and punishment.
• Define hostile attribution bias as misinterpreting non-aggressive cues as threatening, and minimalisation as underestimating the harm caused by an offence.
• Describe differential association theory in terms of learning pro-criminal attitudes and specific criminal acts through socialisation with intimate groups.
• Evaluate these explanations using empirical evidence, such as Palmer and Hollin's findings on moral reasoning or Farrington's longitudinal studies on differential association.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing hostile attribution bias with minimalisation.

  Put it right: Ensure hostile attribution bias is described as a trigger for aggression (misinterpreting cues), whereas minimalisation is a post-hoc justification (downplaying harm).

• Stating Eysenck's theory is purely psychological.

  Put it right: Clarify that Eysenck's theory has a biological basis, as the personality traits are rooted in the functioning of the autonomic and central nervous systems.

• Describing differential association as just 'peer pressure'.

  Put it right: Explain it as a specific learning process involving the mathematical ratio of pro-criminal to anti-criminal attitudes, alongside learning specific criminal techniques.

Exam tips

• When evaluating Eysenck's theory, use the concept of cultural bias, noting that Hispanic and African-American offenders were found to be less extraverted than a non-criminal control group.
• Link cognitive distortions directly to specific types of crime, such as minimalisation in white-collar crime or sexual offences, to demonstrate applied understanding.
• Contrast differential association theory with biological explanations to build a strong 'nature versus nurture' evaluation paragraph.