Analysis, Review, and Application of Feature Theory - Essay Example

?Running head: CASE STUDY Assessment item 2: Case Study (school) Assessment Item 2: Case Study Introduction There are various personal histories as well as theories which help explain a person’s criminal behaviour. For the most part, such behaviour is often an accumulation of genetic and personal histories which ultimately dictate a person’s actions, thoughts, and feelings. Various theories may be used in order to explain such actions and behaviour and to explain the trends and patterns of one’s actions. These theories help develop an understanding of such behaviour, with the end goal of addressing the root cause of negative behaviour. This paper shall consider the application of the trait theory in explaining the criminal behaviour of Mary. Mary, along with another accomplice committed murder and a review of her history reveals a pattern of abuse and of life in the streets. Her history may shed light to her actions and the trait theory would help review her patterns of behaviour. A description or general explanation of the trait theory shall first be established. The main concepts of the trait theory shall also be specified, including that of extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Then, an application of the theoretical concepts in relation to this case study shall follow next. Finally, relevant research findings shall also be used in order to clearly establish the link between the trait theory and this case study. Body The trait theory briefly explained As understood from the lecture notes, traits are more or less stable, meaning they are consistent over time and are the same from one situation to the next. In general, applying this approach in clarifying behaviour or analysing personality suggests that a person’s personality is made up of broad dispositions (Cherry, 2011). In describing a person, the usual considerations made are qualities which are based on his traits – him being outgoing, or kind, or shy. In using traits to evaluate crime, the interests are placed on the psychological qualities of offenders, qualities which differentiate them from the non-criminals. Traits often include fixed ways of thinking, of behaving, and of emotionally responding. There are dozens of trait theories and Eysenck’s personality theory shall be utilized in order to evaluate Mary’s behaviour and actions. Eysenck’s three dimensions of personality include three traits: introversion/extroversion, neuroticism/emotional stability, and psychoticism. Introversion is the trait which involves the process of directing attention to inner experiences; on the other hand, extroversion is about focusing attention outwards to other people and the general environment (Cherry, 2011). An introvert may therefore be reserved and the extrovert would be very much outgoing. In neuroticism, there is a proclivity for being emotional when confronted with a situation; but for emotional stability, there is an emotional consistency and calmness in one’s reactions. Finally, psychoticism refers to the trait seen in individuals who have coping issues and difficulties in relation to reality and actual events; and they are also considered antisocial, hostile, and manipulative (Eysenck, 1992). As discussed by Eysenck, a person’s extroversion and neuroticism may be evaluated through pencil and paper questionnaires, including the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Those having high scores in extroversion are very much sociable and active; and this extroversion is often determined through a person’s CNS and ANS arousal (Sammons, n.d). Extroverts also need a lot of stimulation from their environment. Those who score high in neuroticism often manifest anxiety and depression; they also react strongly and in an exaggerated fashion to negative stimuli (Sammons, n.d). Neuroticism is usually established through the person’s general lability in his central nervous system. In instances when the score for neuroticism is low, the person usually manifests a stable nervous system; those who score high in neuroticism are highly unstable (Sammons, n.d). Psychoticism as explained by Eysenck manifests as aggression, as well as being antisocial and egocentric. Eysenck also explains how extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism are largely determined by one’s genes; moreover, these are traits which are usually normally within the population with most people having moderate scores in these traits (Dwyer, 2001). Extreme scores in these traits are very rare. Introversion and extroversion In reviewing Eysenck’s introversion and extroversion traits, extroverts are individuals which have low levels of resting arousal, based on their heart rates and brain waves (Cassel and Bernstein, 2004). In order for these individuals to increase their stimulation or excitement, they usually seek means to further arouse themselves. Mary is actually an extrovert as she seeks stimulation and excitement. She sought it at the time when she actually participated in committing the murder. She and her friend waited for the perfect time to rob and kill someone and such waiting increased her tension and stimulation. The actual commission of the heinous act was also likely to create responses which boiled down to her excitement. She chose to get money by robbing a person and then committing murder. She could have chosen to rob the man and not kill him, but she opted for the more stimulating choice. She also chose to live her life in the streets, full of its dangers and difficulties. There were tamer and less dangerous options available for her, but instead, she chose the exciting and stimulating life of crime and of drug use. These options would mark her as an extrovert. Based on Eysenck’s description of introverts, Mary does not display these traits. Introverts often have a hyper-aroused nervous system and therefore seek and prefer the quiet and solitude (Cassel and Bernstein, 2004). They also learn quickly from experience, and therefore are more likely to become more conforming. Mary is definitely not a person who seeks quiet and solitude because she consciously sought conflict, stimulation, and excitement in her life. The chaos of her home life was not something she consciously sought for herself, however, her decisions after leaving her home were her own decisions – decisions which brought her further and further away from quiet and solitude. Extroverts have also been known to take risks, act on the spur of the moment, and are very much impulsive (Dwyer, 2001). Mary certainly took a major risk in committing the robbery/murder and these actions signal her impulsiveness and spur of the moment actions. She lived rough on the streets for months supporting her drug habits through prostitution. These are behaviours which strongly support her impulsiveness, her lack of caution, her lack of planning, and her bravado. These are all traits which are far removed from the life which introverts prefer. Neuroticism/emotional stability Eysenck discusses that individuals who scored high in neuroticism had nervous systems which prompted strong and exaggerated reactions to stimuli (Jewkes and Letherby, 2002). Their moodiness and anxiety also made them difficult to manage. Mary had strong reactions to events in her life. She ran away from home after she could no longer handle things happening there. She also jumped into highly illogical decisions by considering how their lack of drug money could be resolved by robbing and killing someone. Her impulsiveness in wanting to use the credit card also made her neurotic in her actions. It showed her impulsiveness – of having to act immediately on an urge – no matter what risks were involved. She and her friend could have waited a few days for the police officers to be less vigilant about finding the man’s killer before deciding to use the credit card. However, their urges and impulsiveness overcame her sensibilities; in the end, their impulsiveness led to their arrest. Neuroticism also refers to the proclivity for going through unpleasant feelings, including anger, anxiety, and vulnerability (Tenibiaje, 2010). Those who are highly neurotic may feel one overall negative feeling and their negative emotional reactions often manifest for a long period of time; in effect, they would seem to be perpetually in a bad mood (Tenibiaje, 2010). Mary has feelings of anger. This anger has already manifested itself in her past dealings and experiences with her family. The act of killing also carries some form of anger towards other people (Millon, 2003). She would not have been able to carry out that robbery and killing if she was emotionally stable. Her anger was again seen in her surly and uncooperative behaviour towards the authorities (Millon, 2003). She believed she would not be held responsible for her crimes. Such beliefs display a significant amount of neuroticism, most likely fuelled and created by the negative experiences she has had to go through her whole life (Millon, 2003). Neuroticism also includes feelings of depression and of irrationality, tension, aggression, coldness, egocentricity, lack of empathy, and a general antisocial behaviour (Link and Mealey, 1992). She was irrational when she believed that in order to get drug money, they needed to rob and likely kill someone. She was also aggressive as seen through her tough actions on the streets, her act of murder, and her bravado. She manifests coldness and lacks empathy for her victim. She even blamed the victim for wanting to pick her up, therefore deserving of his fate. She did not think of the man possibly being a family man, being a father maybe with wife and children who have lost him for good. She did not express any sympathy for the victim and what he went through in the last minutes of his life. She did not think past her egocentric beliefs that she would not be jailed or held responsible for her crimes. She has a tough attitude about life, and considering her history, this is not exactly surprising. Nevertheless, this history has developed her traits, traits which largely indicate unpleasant qualities which are very much in contrast with emotional stability. Psychoticism In psychoticism, individuals suffering from this trait have a high risk of developing psychological abnormalities. Those who score high in psychoticism are not solitary, nor do they care about other people; they often cause trouble and are often cruel; they also has little empathy or feeling for others; they are highly hostile and aggressive towards other people, even to their own family members and friends (Tenibiaje, 2010). Mary manifests some of the traits under psychoticism. She is not exactly solitary, as she hangs out with other people; however, it is doubtful if she cares about them at all. She has lived a life of crime and all sorts of related ‘trouble.’ She has engaged in drugs, prostitution, and now, robbery and murder. She does not appear to care for other people, but was only concerned about supporting her drug habit. She has given up contact with her family and has not attempted to contact them since she left home. However, she may be considered a hardcore criminal if she continues to live a life of crime. In evaluating her traits, she is extroverted and is also neurotic or emotionally unstable. The actions which led her to this point in her life have mostly been caused by her extroversion, her thrill-seeking and risk-taking attitude and her irrationality. Studies/research support Various studies have been carried out proving the significant relationship between high levels of neuroticism and psychotism among criminals. In a study carried out on inmates in Nigeria, Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire was utilized in order to gain information and patterns of personality traits (Tenibiaje, 2008). About 500 inmates were randomly chosen from seven prisons in Nigeria and the results established that there was indeed a significant relationship between pairing traits like extroversion and neuroticism, extroversion and psychoticism, and neuroticism and psychotocism (Tenibiaje, 2008). Psychoticism was also especially high among the respondents, including neuroticism and extroversion. This study would help support the current analysis of Mary’s behaviour and actions. She has traits which predispose her towards a life of crime. Her traits of extroversion as well as her neuroticism are traits which liken her to other criminals or a potential for a criminal life. She already has manifested criminal behaviour and regardless of her age, she has manifested the lack of remorse and bravado which would likely lead to an even more dangerous and relentless life of crime. In another study, Boduszek and colleagues (2011) sought to establish which among various variables, including personality traits, explained why former prisoners had criminal attitudes. Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire was one of those used in evaluating a sample of 64 ex-prisoners. The authors were able to establish that “personality, association with criminal friends, and recidivism explained 71% of the variance in criminal attitudes” (Boduszek, et.al., 2011, p. 1). This helps support the fact that psychoticism is a strong predictor of criminal tendencies and traits. This study provides a better understanding of the psychological and sociological elements in criminal attitudes and how authorities can look into these traits in order to prevent recidivism and the onset of criminal behaviour. In the case of Mary, her personality traits (extroversion and neuroticism) which explained her criminal behaviour, and these traits were actually exacerbated by her criminal association with friends. Rushton and Christjohn (1981) also established how self-reports of extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism was seen among delinquent schoolchildren and students. In other words, those who were highly delinquent also scored high in these three traits. These results are very much in line with Eysenck’s analysis and with the analysis of Mary’s behaviour. Farrington, et.al., (1982) also attempted to review the relationship between these three traits to criminal behaviour, and majority of the offenders scored high in psychoticism and neuroticism. Mary also manifests high tendencies in these traits and understanding these tendencies would help explain, to a certain degree, her actions and her criminal behaviour. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, Mary’s behaviour and actions can be understood in the context of the trait theory. The trait theory explains the fixed ways by which people think, behave, and how they emotionally respond. Eysenck’s personality theory includes three traits which can be used to explain Mary’s actions. These traits include: extroversion/introversion, neuroticism/emotional stability, and psychoticism. Mary is an extrovert as she focuses more on excitement and risks in her life. She also possesses neuroticism traits which manifests through her impulsiveness and her general lack of empathy. In some ways, she also possesses psychoticism traits as she is gearing her life towards hardcore crime. She is also being highly influenced by the criminals she is associating with. Mary’s behaviour and criminal actions can be explained through this trait theory and in order for mental health experts to effectively assist Mary towards a less criminal life, these traits have to be curbed and should be the main concern of any psychological or rehabilitation treatments. Reference Boduszek, D., McLaughlin, C., & Hyland, P. (2011). Criminal attitudes of ex-prisoners: the role of personality, criminal friends and recidivism. Internet Journal of Criminology. Retrieved 08 December 2011 from http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Boduszek_McLaughlin_Hyland_Criminal_Attitudes_of_Ex-Prisoners_IJC_November_2011.pdf Cassel, E. & Bernstein, D. (2007). Criminal behaviour. London: Routledge. Cherry, K. (2011). The trait approach to personality. About.com. 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(n.d). Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality. Psychlotron.org. Retrieved 08 December 2011 from http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/newResources/criminological/A2_AQB_crim_EysenckTheory.pdf Tenibiaje, D. (2010). Personality and development of crime in Nigeria. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, 2(4): 214-219. Tenibiaje, D. (2008). Relationship among the personality traits of inmates in Nigeria prisons. The Social Sciences, 3(2), 196-199. Read More