EYSENCK’S HIERARCHICAL TRAIT THEORY

Eysenck describes personality in a hierarchy of constructs. Acts are organised into Habits, then to Traits, then to Factors (Eysenck, 1990). For Example Act – Buy food Habit – Buy food for party Trait – Has party’s frequently and is often seen with groups of people Factor – They are on the extravert side of the extraversion–introversion continuum

UNSTABLE

EXTRAVERSION

STABILITY

INTROVERSION

1916-­‐1997    

STRENGTHS OF THE THEORY The PEN model is a combination of descriptive and causal aspects of personality, which makes it more distinct than other theories, such as the Five Factor Model (Costa & McCrae, 1992: Eysenck,1991). The Pen model offers causal explanations, as well as simply describing personality traits. The PEN model offers clear and concise levels, which are easy to understand and do not over lap each other like other models do. The PEN model discriminates intellectual processes from emotional ones (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985). The PEN model offers a strong experimental approach to the study of personality, which means it is a testable theory and as a result of this has served as a good role model for many other personality theories (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985).

WEAKNESSES OF THE THEORY

Eysenck’s theory, although extremely popular, has however been criticised due to its failure to produce evidence that introverts and extroverts condition differently, (Gross,R, 2009). There has also been criticisms in the usefulness of a trait approach theory to personality, some suggesting that personality traits are not a good predictor of future behaviours (Mischel, 1973) Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was criticised by Heim (Heim, 1970, as cited in Gross, 1990). She stated that yes and no questions could not possibly be thorough enough to even begin to understand the many different aspects of personality.

PSYCHOTICISM

The psychoticism dimension is a more recent addition and is less well defined than neuroticism and extraversion. Psychoticism is at one end of the continuum and super-ego control is at the other (Carducci, 2009) Those HIGH on psychoticism are: •  Non-conformist •  Tough-minded •  Willing to take risks •  Unconcerned about the rights

and welfare of others •  May engage in antisocial

behaviours

Those LOW on psychoticism are: •  Warm •  Sensitive •  Concerned about others

FACTOR  

HABIT  

ACT  

HABIT  

ACT  

HABIT  

ACT  

TRAIT   TRAIT  

“BUGS BUNNY” •  Warm •  Cheerful •  Talkative •  Enjoys being

centre of attention •  Seeks novelty and excitement

“PORKY PIG” •  Very self aware •  Quiet and reserved in large groups •  Learns well through observation •  Tends to keep

emotions private

“TAZ-MANIA” •  Hostile •  Reckless •  Lacks Common Sense •  Shows inappropriate emotional expression

“DAFFY DUCK” •  Anxious •  Moody •  Jealous •  Envious

WHICH CHARACTER

ARE YOU?

EYSENCK’S 3 MAIN PERSONALITY TRAITS

Eysenck created a model of personality traits, it initially consisted of the continuums of Extraversion and Neuroticism, later adding Psychoticism creating

the PEN Model (Eysenck, 1990).

The three traits are on a spectrum:

Eysenck believes everyone exists somewhere on the spectrum of all three personality traits.

EXTRAVERSION The extraversion dimension is widely seen as a continuum ranging from extroversion to introversion (Maltby & Macaskill , 2010). Those HIGH on extroversion (extroverts) are: •  Sociable •  Impulsive •  Like Excitement •  Directed towards external reality •  Lively •  Active •  Assertive •  Sensation-Seeking •  Carefree •  Dominant Those LOW on extroversion (introverts) are: •  Less sociable •  Quiet •  Introspective individuals •  Directed towards inner reality •  Like to live a well ordered life

NEUROTICISM

Last is neuroticism. Individuals exist on this spectrum to varying degrees. Eysenck (Matthews & Gilliland, 1999) claims that neurotics are best explained as individuals who are unstable. Those HIGH on neuroticism (emotionally unstable) are: •  Exaggerated or unsubstantiated fears, including

objects, places, animals or even certain individuals •  Impulsive or obsessive behaviours •  Excess fear and anxiety •  Depression •  Feelings of guilt •  Low self-esteem •  Tension •  Irrationality

Those LOW on neuroticism (emotionally stable) are: •  Calm •  Even-tempered •  Less likely to feel tense

INTRODUCTION Hans J. Eysenck was born in Germany in 1916. He left Germany for France in 1934 and eventually established a life for himself in Britain. Eysenck was one of the first psychologists to relate biology to personality and has developed an extensive range of theories on many topics and published over 40 books, many of which he has co-written with his wife Sybil B.G. Eysenck. He has also completed publications with his son Michael W. Eysenck; a psychologist who specialises in memory. Hans Eysenck decided to retire in 1983 but continued writing until he died in September 1997. Eysenck’s Trait Personality Theory is based on biological explanations (Eysenck, 1990). Eysenck believed that an individual’s personality traits, or what Eysenck referred to as ‘temperament’, are caused directly by a person’s genetic make-up (Chamorro-Premuzic & Furnham, 2005). There have been many studies that support biological explanations of Eysenck’s trait personality theory; these include, twin studies (Eaves & Eysenck, 1975, and Eysenck, 1990) and brain imaging (Canli et al., 2001).

Psychoticism → Ego Control Extroversion → Introversion

Neuroticism → Stability

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