Edexcel Psychology for A Level Yr 2 Revision Guide

How to use this book Chapter 3 Criminological psychology Explanations of crime and anti-social behaviour: Personality Spec spotlight Explanations of crime and anti- social behaviour,with consideration given to gender differences. 6.1.1 Biological explanations, including personality. Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality Two dimensions of personality related to the criminal type. Extraversion (E)–Introversion • Extraverts crave excitement and stimulation, so are prone to engage in dangerous, risk-taking behaviour. • They also tend not to condition easily (they do not learn from their mistakes). • This means an extravert engaging in criminal behaviour would not be affected as strongly by punishment as an introvert would. Neuroticism (N)–Stability • Neurotic individuals are easily agitated and anxious. • Their general instability means their behaviour is dif cult to predict. According to Eysenck, the typical criminal personality is an extravert–neurotic . Biological basis Eysenck’s theory is essentially biological in nature. The personality traits we develop throughout our lives are explained by the type of nervous system we inherit: • Extraverts have a constant need for excitement. This may be caused by an underactive nervous system which requires unusually high levels of arousal. • Neurotics are volatile and react strongly to situations others would nd less stressful or even neutral. A third dimension – psychoticism Eysenck later added another dimension to the criminal type. Psychoticism (P) is seen in people who are self-centred, cold and lack empathy for others (Eysenck was less clear about the link with the nervous system). The criminal type scores highly on all three dimensions. Eysenck developed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), a questionnaire which places respondents along E, N and P dimensions to determine personality type. The socialisation process The theory has a biological emphasis but Eysenck acknowledged that the socialisation process in childhood determines whether a person becomes law-abiding or not. However, the fact that extraverts are natural reward- seekers makes them less receptive to operant conditioning and therefore less affected by punishment for wrongdoing. Similarly, high neuroticism interferes with ef cient learning which may relate to dif culty taking on board social rules. These factors make extravert–neurotics more likely to behave anti-socially. Crimes against dancing? Looks like it. Apply it Concepts Luke is a quiet boy who hates being told off for doing something wrong. He is talking with his friends about who is most likely to get arrested. Jake is popular as he is loud and craves excitement – and because he is so reliable. If he says he will do something, he does. Gary has a sharp sense of humour, though his jokes are often hurtful and he can fly into a rage apparently over nothing. 1. (a) Describe one example of a boy’s neurotic behaviour. (2) (b) Describe one example of a boy’s psychotic behaviour. (2) 2. Explain extraversion and introversion using two of the boys as examples. (2) 3. Context essay: Discuss why some of the boys’ personalities might put them at risk of criminality. (8) 102 AO1 Description To write good exam answers you need to know the facts, but you also must learn to apply your knowledge and evaluation effectively. Study the revision tips throughout this book. This is the bit in the specification that we are covering on this spread. Informative picture or dodgy joke. Each subtopic is divided into about four key points to help your revision. If you can recall something from each point, it will help organise the AO1 content of your answer to an extended response question. The spread subtopic is identified here. Apply it questions on concepts or methods. To give you an opportunity to practise applying your knowledge of this subtopic to a scenario. The Apply it questions may be short answer ones (SAQ, worth just a few marks) or essays (extended response questions, ERQs). The more you practise, the better you will get. In all chapters (except the first chapter on Issues and debates) each spread covers one subtopic in the specification. On the left-hand page of each spread the AO1 description of the subtopic is covered. 4