4 MARCH 1916 – 4 SEPTEMBER 1997

HANS EYSENCK
BY RHEANNA MATIENZO
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Overview of Biologically
Based Trait Theory

Biography of Hans J.
Eysenck

Eysenck’s Factor Theory

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Dimensions of
Personality

Biological Bases of
Personality

Related Research
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Critique of Eysenck’s
Biologically Based
Theory

Concept of Humanity

Key Terms and Concepts

 OVERVIEW OF BIOLOGICALLY
BASED TRAIT THEORY

Eysenck developed a factor theory much like McCrae and Costa, but because he

fundamentally based his taxonomy in both

factor analysis and biology, he derived only
three, rather than five, dimensions of personality—extraversion/introversion,
neuroticism/stability, and psychoticism/ superego.
The key for Eysenck was that the individual differences in people’s personalities were
biological, and not merely psychological, aspects of personality. That is, genetic
differences lead to structural differences in the central nervous system, including brain
structures, hormones, and neurotransmitters, and these differences in biology lead to
differences along the three factors of personality—extraversion, neuroticism, and
psychoticism.
BIOGRAPHY
OF HANS J.
EYSENCK

“I always felt that a scientist

owes the world only one thing,
and that is the truth as he sees
it” – Hans Eysenck.
 BIOGRAPHY OF HANS J.
EYSENCK
- In 1955, Eysenck took a position at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College as
a professor of psychology. He held that position until 1983 and published much of
his work during that time. He focused his attention on intelligence and personality
and helped launch the psychological journal Personality and Individual
Differences.

- Eysenck was a prolific writer and he wrote thousands of articles and nearly 100
books. At the time of his death in 1997, Eysenck held the distinction of being the
most-cited psychologist in scientific journals. Michael Eysenck, Eysenck's son from
his first marriage to Margaret Davies, is a well-known psychology professor.
Eysenck was married a second time, to Sybil Rostal, with whom he had three sons
and a daughter.
 BIOGRAPHY OF HANS J.
EYSENCK
- Eysenck's primary research interest was in the field of personality. He developed
the concept of neuroticism, arguing that it was a biological form of emotional
instability. He frequently argued that much of personality is genetically
determined and published several papers on this topic.

-He argued against psychoanalysis, claiming that it was unscientific. Instead, he

favored a behavioral approach to therapy. His theory of personality compares
two central factors, extraversion (E) and neuroticism (N), from which four basic
personality types flow.
EYSENCK’S FACTOR THEORY
Psychometric Evidence

A corollary to this criterion is that the factor must be reliable and replicable.

Heritability
This criterion eliminates learned characteristics, such as the ability to mimic the
voices of well-known people or a religious or political belief.

Possess Social Relevance

It must be demonstrated that mathematically derived factors have a relationship
(not necessarily causal) with such socially relevant variables as drug addiction,
proneness to unintentional injuries, outstanding performance in sports, psychotic
behavior, and criminality.
HIERARCHY OF BEHAVIOR
ORGANIZATION
Specific Acts or Cognitions - individual behaviors or thoughts that may or may not be
characteristic of a person.
Example: A student finishing a reading assignment would be an example of a specific
response.

Habitual Acts or Cognitions- responses that recur under similar conditions.

Example: if a student frequently keeps at an assignment until it is finished, this behavior
becomes a habitual response.

Trait- “important semi-permanent personality dispositions” Eysenck (1981).

Example: students would have the trait of persistence if they habitually complete class
assignments and keep working at other endeavors until they are finished.

Types or Superfactors- A type is made up of several interrelated traits.

DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY
a continuous aspect of personality, representing scores on different personality dimensions
found throughout the population in varying combinations.

DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY

Extraversion- characterized primarily by sociability and impulsiveness but also by

jocularity, liveliness, quick-wittedness,
optimism, and other traits indicative of
people who are rewarded for their association with others.

Neuroticism- characterized by traits opposite those of extraverts. They can be

described as quiet, passive, unsociable, careful, reserved, thoughtful, pessimistic,
peaceful, sober, and controlled.

Psychoticism- Like extraversion and neuroticism, P is a bipolar factor, with

psychoticism on one pole and superego on the other. High P scorers are often
egocentric, cold, nonconforming, impulsive, hostile, aggressive, suspicious,
psychopathic, and antisocial.
MEASURING PERSONALITY
a self-report instrument designed to measure two central dimensions of personality,
extraversion and neuroticism.

 BIOLOGICAL BASES OF
PERSONALITY

the collection of brain systems and mechanisms that underlie human personality.

PERSONALITY AS A PREDICTOR
Personality and Behavior- Eysenck’s
theory assumes that extraversion is a product
of low cortical arousability. Therefore, introverts, compared with extraverts, should

and learning conditions. Eysenck (1997a)
be more sensitive to a variety of stimuli
argued that an effective theory of personality should predict both proximal and
distal consequence.

Eysenck and S. B. G. Eysenck (1975) reported that both high P scorers and high E
scorers are likely to be troublemakers as children. Thus, the high E scoring
troublemakers tend to grow into productive adults, while the high P scoring
troublemakers tend to continue to have learning problems, to get into crime, and
to have difficulty making friends (S. Eysenck, 1997)
 PERSONALITY AND DISEASE

Eysenck (1985) proposed a theory in which he hypothesized that the personality

traits that are associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer are at opposite

Hence the person who was at risk for
ends of particular personality dimensions.
cardiovascular disease would not be at risk for cancer and vice versa.

 RELATED RESEARCH

Eysenck developed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and its offshoots.

RELATED RESEARCH

The Biological Basis of Extraversion

Eysenck proposed that extraversion was caused by variability in cortical arousal.

hypothesized that introverts are characterized by higher levels of activity than
He

more cortically aroused than extraverts.
extraverts and so are chronically

The Biological Basis of

Neuroticism
Eysenck believed that individual differences in Neuroticism were governed by
segments of the brain belonging to what is called the limbic system. One of the
functions of the brain's limbic system is to regulate responses to stress.

 CRITIQUE OF EYSENCK’S
BIOLOGICALLY BASED THEORY
Eysenck's theory has also been criticized
for LACKING EXPLANATORY POWER. For
example, HOWITT (2009) points out that while Eysenck highlights traits which are
related to different types of criminals, they
do not explain why they commit the crimes

they do. The criminal personality is that the idea that all offending behavior can be
explained by a single personality type has been criticized.

CONCEPT OF HUMANITY

dimension, Eysenck’s theory sides somewhat toward
determinism versus free choice

the deterministic view, but only slightly. Biological foundations are difficult to
change, but as the diathesis-stress models make clear, both biology and
environment are needed to
create final personality qualities in an individual.

optimism versus pessimism Eysenck is mostly silent, but on teleology versus causality
he comes down on the side of causality.

conscious versus unconscious determinants of behavior, Eysenck’s approach leans

toward unconscious determinants insofar as people are mostly incapable of being
aware of how genetics and brain processes affect their behavior and personality.
CONCEPT OF HUMANITY

biological versus social influences it may be somewhat surprising to say, but in fact,

Eysenck very much argued for “both-and”—both nature and nurture.

individual differences versus

similarities, biological theory leans quite a bit toward
individual differences. Biological, brain, and genetic differences focus on the
uniqueness of individuals.

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Eysenck used a hypothetico-deductive approach to extract three bipolar

extraversion/introversion, neuroticism/stability, and psychoticism/superego.
factors—

Extraverts are characterized by sociability and impulsiveness; introverts, by

passivity and thoughtfulness.

High scores on the neuroticism scale may indicate anxiety, hysteria, obsessive-
compulsive disorders, or criminality; low scores tend to predict emotional stability.
KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

High scores on psychoticism indicate hostility, self-centeredness, suspicion,

nonconformity, and antisocial behavior; low scores indicate a strong superego,

empathy, and cooperation.

Eysenck insisted that, to be useful, personality must predict behavior, and he

presented ample evidence to support his three-factor theory.

The three main dimensions of personality are biologically based as evidenced from
temperament, behavioral genetics, and brain research.
 REFERENCES
Eysenck. Eysenck - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28,
2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/eysenck
Feist, J., Feist, G., & Roberts, T. (2017). Theories of Personality (9th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Wistow, D. J., Wakefield, J. A., & Goldsmith, W. M. (2002, May 30). The relationship
between personality, health symptoms and disease. Personality and Individual
Differences. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/019188699090257R
Team, G. T. E. (2011, November 11). Hans Eysenck (1916-1997). Hans Eysenck
Biography. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-
psychologists/hanseysenck.html#:~:text=Hans%20Eysenck%20was%20born%20on,col
lege%20in%20the%20psychology%20department.