Antisocial Behaviour in Children and Eysenck's Theory of Personality: An evaluation

Antisocial behaviour in children and youth was examined in relation to the biosocial personality theory of Hans Eysenck. Eysenck's theory is based on three independent personality traits that reflect hypothesised temperament source traits affecting behavioural predisposition. The theory holds that the interaction of the three temperament traits Psychoticism (P), Extroversion (E), and Neuroticism (N) with socialisation experiences produce personality. Eysenck's measurement instruments also contain a Lie (L) scale that has been shown to function as an index of socialisation or social conformity. Eysenck's antisocial behaviour (ASB) hypothesis predicts that individuals at risk for developing ASB have above average P scale scores. Further, individuals who are also high on the E and N scales and below average on the L scale are at the greatest risk. The current article provides an overview of the theory and an evaluation of the research support for the ASB hypothesis in children and youth. The evaluation supported the role of P and L in ASB. Implications of the findings are discussed.