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Eysenck: Personality is genetically determined
Dalum Hjallese Debate Club
The art of passing a personality test
4. Eysenck type personality test
Eysenck did not deny the influence of environment and upbringing on the formation of personality, but believed that it is mainly genetically determined.
In the "Journal of Mental Health" he wrote that the tendency to anxiety has genetic causes. "The factor neuroticism is not a statistical artifact, but constitutes a biological entity that is inherited as a whole - neurotic predisposition is largely heritable."
Furthermore, he believed that the predisposition to psychoticism is determined by the level of the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is a hereditary biological condition.
However, it is his claim that intelligence is also mainly genetically determined that is responsible for the widespread resistence to his results: "The entire development of a child's intellectual abilities is largely genetically determined, and even extreme environmental changes - have little influence on this development." he wrote in his book "The Inequality of Man".
He supported his American student, Arthur Jensen, who concluded that: "Head Start programs designed to improve African-Americans' IQ scores have failed and this can probably never be remedied by education, because 80% of the variance in IQ in the population studied is the result of genetic factors".
1. Personality as part of genetic inheritance
Hans Eysenck was born in Germany in 1916. He was the son of a nightclub entertainer named Anton Eysenck and a famous actress named Helga Molander. His parents were both Christians. He grew up with his grandmother, who was a devout Protestant Christian.
Hans Jürgen Eysenck 1916-1997. Photo Sirswindon Wikipedia
Due to the persecution of Jews, he fled to England at the age of 18. As mentioned, he was not Jewish himself, but he felt sympathy for the Jews. He wrote in his autobiography: "My hatred for Hitler and the Nazis and everything they stood for was so overwhelming that no argument could counter it".
In England, he became a famous psychiatrist. He received his PhD in psychology from the University of London in 1940. During World War II, he worked as a psychologist in an emergency hospital, where he also researched the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses. He became professor of psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London in 1955, a position he held until 1983.
Until his death in 1997, he wrote 80 books and perhaps more than 1,600 scientific articles. In the book "Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire", he criticized Sigmund Freud.
In another book, "Race, Intelligence and Education", Eysenck supported the American psychologist Arthur Jensen's theory that intelligence is hereditary and that the difference between black and white Americans' results in IQ tests was caused by genetic differences that could not be compensated for through education.
It was precisely during these years that Africans and Indians from all over the collapsed empire poured into Britain. His theory of hereditary personal characteristics was therefore highly controversial. Eysenck experienced being attacked by revolutionary students in connection with a lecture at the London School of Economics. He also received bomb threats and threats that political opponents would kill his small children.
Arthur Robert Jensen 1924 - 2012 was a professor of educational psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. His most controversial publication was "How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?" He concluded that Head Start programs designed to increase the IQ scores of African Americans had failed and that this would probably never be remedied, largely because, in Jensen's estimation, 80% of the variance in IQ in the population studied was the result of genetic factors and the rest was due to environmental influences.
Arthur Jensen was an active researcher and published over 400 reports and 7 books. He continued to publish articles until his death in 2012. He had many political opponents, who tried to silence him with bomb and death threats, disrupting lectures, removing his works from libraries and more. But he never gave up. Photo Los Angeles Times.
Hans Eysenck constructed most of his personality tests together with his son, Michael Eysenck, who also became a psychologist.
His theory of personality is primarily based on physiology and genetics. Although he emphasized learned characteristics, he considered basic personality to be part of the genetic inheritance. Thus, according to Eysenck, one can thus expect that lively, extroverted parents will tend to have lively and extroverted children, aggressive, dominant parents will tend to have aggressive and dominant children, and intelligent parents will tend to have intelligent children.
The classic four temperaments are characterized precisely by the fact that they are determined by physical bodily conditions, namely different bodily fluids, and they are therefore physiologically and genetically determined. They were thus an obvious starting point for Eysenck.
The four temperaments on a drawing from the 17th century:
- The choleric temperament is determined by the body fluid, yellow bile. A choleric is outgoing, restless, impulsive, optimistic and dominant. He is very concerned with his own needs. The choleric is easily agitated.
- The sanguine temperament is determined by the body fluid, blood. The sanguine is very lively and outgoing. He is very concerned with his own needs, but is carefree and takes things lightly.
- The melancholic temperament is determined by the body fluid, black bile. A melancholic is introverted, melancholic, silent, slow and thoughtful. He is not concerned with his own needs, but with those of others. He rarely gets really angry.
- The phlegmatic temperament is determined by the body fluid, lymph or phlegm. The phlegmatic is also slow and thoughtful, but at the same time stubborn, skeptical and concerned with his own needs. He rarely shows anger.
Drawing by Charles Le Brun from the 17th century. RMN Wikipedia.
2. Inborn Traits
Eysenck studied the behavior of infants and demonstrated - what most parents already know - that from birth there are clear differences from child to child in terms of, for example, adaptability, irritability, pace and energy, sociability, easy flammability, impulsivity, anxiety, tendency to cry and much more. Which clearly indicates that personality is largely innate.
Eysenck's two original personality scales in an x-y plane adapted to the classical temperaments:
The X-axis "Extraversion-Introversion" (E) which means "Extroverted-Introverted" and the Y-axis "Neuroticism-Emotional Stability", which means Neurotic-Equable" (N).
Eysenck noted how these two dimensions describe the four classical personality types introduced by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates four thousand years ago.
Later in his career, Eysenck added a third scale, "Psychoticism-Normal Socialization", which does not easily display graphically in an x-y plane together with the first two scales.
High N and high E = Choleric type
High N and low E = Melancholic type
Low N and high E = Sanguine type
Low N and low E = Phlegmatic type
Photo Psynso.
When a large part of personality is innate, one would immediately think that these characteristics and tendencies that represent personality are also unchangeable throughout the individual's life.
However, the controversy - about whether personality tests are beneficial or not - is precisely that some believe that our personality and thus habits and behavior are not unchangeable, but that we can consciously adapt to the challenges of the ever-changing reality that we encounter during our lives. A test in this case would simply put a label on the individual.
An introverted manager or an introverted teacher can develop habits and routines that make them visible to their employees and students, even though he may feel that it is exhausting.
Eysenck tries to protect himself during an attack by members of a Maoist student group during a lecture at the University on May 8, 1973. The Daily Telegraph reported: "Before Professor Eysenck had a chance to begin, he was met with shouts, taunts and obscenities. About 15 students from the front two rows jumped over the table and started punching. They were punching in every direction." The newspaper further reported that Eysenck had got "smashed his glasses, had a cut on his nose and had his hair pulled". Photo Daily Telegraph.
One can get used to the requirement to be visible all the time - to promote oneself and exercise an obvious authority - for example as a politician, leader, teacher or officer, even if such behavior is not particularly natural or pleasurable from the start. One can learn to analyze a problem in a systematic and logical way, even if one is only moderately gifted and not born extremely intelligent.
Author Annie Murphy Paul is very critical of personality tests. She writes that personality tests put individuals in a box, despite the fact that individuals are quite capable of changing and adapting to changing circumstances. However, she admits that a few personality traits are indeed innate and relatively unchangeable throughout our lives, such as "introversion-extroversion" and "level of aggressiveness", the latter being a well-known function of various innate hormones. She should have included "intelligence," since it is well known that intelligent parents tend to have intelligent children.
But everything else, she writes, including most of Cattell's 16 personality traits and the Big Five's 20 subscales, may well be too complex and changeable to be measured in an objective and meaningful way.
Eysenck's three main scales "Extraversion-Introversion," "Neuroticism-Emotional Stability," and "Psychoticism-Socialization" describe precisely such basic - presumably innate - personality traits that we might think are genetically determined and thus fairly unchangeable over a person's lifetime.
Hans Eysenck speaks to the Daily Mail about the attack on May 10, 1973. Photo Daily Mail.
You can not accuse Eysenck of being a windbag. His theory of inherited personality traits is probably true, but it was not popular in his time. It was during his time that Enoch Powell's political career was destroyed by his "Rivers of Blood" speech. Africans and Indians from all over the collapsed empire poured into Britain. But that did not stop him from writing in his 1971 book, "Race, Intelligence and Education": "All the evidence to date suggests the overwhelming importance of genetic factors in producing the wide range of intellectual differences that we observe in our culture, and much of the difference observed between certain racial groups."
In his 1973 book "Human Inequality," he wrote that "The entire course of development of a child's intellectual capacities is largely genetically determined, and even extreme environmental changes have little power to alter this development."
3. Eysenck's three personality scales
Eysenck originally introduced two general personality scales, namely "Extroversion-Introversion" and "Neuroticism-Emotional Stability". Later in his career, in 1976, he introduced an additional scale, which he called "Psychoticism-Normal Socialization".
Extraversion/ Introversion
Neuroticism/
Psychoticism/ Normal Socialization
Sociable
Anxious
Aggressive
Irresponsible
Depressed
Self-conscious
Dominant
Guilt
Self-absorbed
Lacks reflection
Depressed
Self-conscious
Dominant
Guilt
Self-absorbed
Lacks reflection
Low self-esteem
Withdrawing
Sensation seeking
Tense-seeking
Manipulative
Impulsive
Moody
Performance-oriented
Risk-taking
Hypochondrous
Dogmatic
Expressive
Dependent
Masculine
Active
Compulsive
Tough-minded
These 27 traits listed in these three columns, such as gregarious, irresponsible, anxious, and so on, all indicate high scores on Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism, respectively. It should be understood that a yes to "gregariousness" scores on Extraversion and a no scores on Introversion. A yes to irresponsible scores on Extraversion and a no scores on Introversion. A yes to anxious scores on Neuroticism and a no on Emotional Stability, and so on.
4. Extraversion-Introversion
Eysenck believed that extroverts have a kind of innate black-out or repression function in their brain.
For example, if they have been in a car accident, they typically cannot remember anything afterwards. Precisely because they cannot remember anything, they will not hesitate to get behind the steering wheel the day after they are discharged from the hospital.
If they have had a bad social experience - for example, they may have been humiliated in a large group, or they may have been rejected by a woman they love - then their brain's effective repression function will make them quickly forget the bad experiences. Precisely because they have repressed their bad experiences, they will not hesitate to show up at the next group party or immediately court the next woman they fall in love with.
This black-out function can of course be more or less effective in different people.
Very introverted people have no black-out function at all. They remember with embarrassing accuracy and in every detail how the car skidded, the windshield shattered, the screams and blood everywhere. That is why they may choose not to drive anymore after they are discharged from the hospital.
An introvert will remember in detail how the whole party laughed heartily when he couldn't remember the lyrics to a song and probably sang out of tune. For the rest of his life, he will remember the hearty, condescending laughter his beloved gave, when he proposed to her. Precisely because he remembers his bad social experiences in such detail, he will gradually take fewer and fewer social initiatives.
5. Neuroticism-Emotionel stability
The fact that people score high on neuroticism in Eysenck's sense does not mean that they actually have a neurosis. It simply means that they tend to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety when exposed to the same stressor and are therefore more likely to develop an actual neurosis.
Neuroses can be characterized by sudden anxiety attacks with palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath or the like, possibly triggered by fear of open spaces, small rooms, spiders, large crowds, bacteria on their hands and more. But - unlike a psychotic - a neurotic experiences reality as it is, and he knows that he has a small personal problem with his nerves.
Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen. Woody Allen can be said to portray a typical emotionally unstable person, which is to say someone with a high level of neuroticism. Eysenck's neuroticism is similar to excessive anxiety. Photo Heyuguys.
People who score high on Eysenck's neuroticism worry about relatively insignificant things and feel unable to cope with the stresses of daily life. They tend to focus on the negative aspects of a situation rather than the positive ones. They may feel envious of others who they believe have come into a more advantageous position in an unfair way.
Test takers who score very high on neuroticism may be more or less compulsive perfectionists. Some psychologists believe that pronounced perfectionism is due to a form of deep-seated inferiority complex.
Eysenck assumes that pronounced neuroticism is biologically conditioned by the fact that such people have a low activation threshold in the sympathetic nervous system in dangerous situations.
The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the autonomic nervous system that is beyond the control of the will and is activated in stressful and dangerous situations. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, it releases hormones such as adrenaline that increase heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow to muscles, decrease intestinal activity, and increase brain activity. It is the body's way of preparing for dangerous fight-or-flight situations.
A couple with high scores on neuroticism. Photo Vivoplay.com
Let's imagine that we have to cross a narrow plank bridge, let's say one meter wide, without railings. The bridge leads over an abyss 50 meters deep.
One meter wide is quite convenient. You don't have to be a tightrope walker to put your foot in the right place; but the situation still requires a certain concentration. Our brain gets a signal that it can now turn off the dreamland program and concentrate a little. After that, most people will cross the bridge concentrated but balanced.
But for some, their innate danger signal to the brain's sympathetic system will be so strong that their entire signal system will go into overdrive. The concentration that the first alarm signal triggers will make them look down, and then an even stronger alarm signal will be sent to the brain, and so on. The person panics.
Eysenck compares the situation to the resonance that occurs when the sound from a loudspeaker is sent back to the microphone.
6. Psychoticism-Normal socialization
Finally, Eysenck also proposed a third very important personality scale, which he called psychoticism. It ranges from low scores - a socially well-adjusted personality - to high scores towards a personality that is prone to psychosis under adverse circumstances.
As with neuroticism, a high score on psychoticism does not mean that one is destined to have such a disorder - only that the test person has some personality traits that are often found among psychotic patients, and that the person may be more susceptible to becoming psychotic under critical circumstances.
Person with a very high score on Psychoticism. Photo Slideplayer.
Psychotic disorders are those that affect the person's experience of reality. He may hear voices or have a feeling of being watched or pursued. Unlike a neurotic, he is not necessarily - at least initially - aware that he has a problem and that what he is experiencing is not real. Typical psychotic disorders are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the latter of which was previously called manic-depressive.
According to Eysenck, people who score high on psychoticism tend to engage in irresponsible and reckless behavior. They may be at odds with accepted social norms and have a tendency towards criminal behavior. They are motivated by a need for immediate gratification, regardless of the consequences.
Eysenck found that people admitted to hospitals for the mentally ill and criminals had high scores on the psychoticism scale.
As with his other two main scales of personality, Eysenck found its cause in physiology and genetics. He demonstrated that people with high psychotic tendencies have high levels of the hormone testosterone and low levels of a substance called monoamine oxidase, which affects levels of neurotransmitters that are important for brain function.
Examples of psychotic tendencies include a certain recklessness, disregard of common sense, and inappropriate emotional expression. Some have found that people with high scores on psychoticism often have a hostile attitude toward cultural norms and authority. They may appear immature and somewhat cold-hearted, and score high on other hostility scales.
7. Psychoticism as a prerequisite for creativity
Eysenck is known for his theory that creativity is presupposed by a high score on psychoticism.
Self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh with a bandage on his severed ear. Photo Wikimedia Commons.
This idea is often popularized by referring to the painter Vincent van Gogh, who cut off his ear, and the mathematician John Nash, who developed game theory, differential geometry and partial differential equations and later suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Nash is portrayed in the film "A Beautiful Mind".
Artists have always had a tendency to portray themselves as eccentric and a little crazy in order to make it seem like they are also creative.
Eysenck wrote that creative intelligence can basically be characterized as a search process in the brain that aims to find non-generic solutions - different elements from memory are brought together to produce new solutions to problems.
He believed that there is strong evidence that this search for new solutions is always guided by conscious or unconscious ideas about relevance. In doing so, he disagreed with other psychologists, who believed that the intellectual search for different solutions is a completely chaotic and random process in the brain.
John Forbes Nash 1928 - 2015. In 1994 he received a shared Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on game theory. Wikimedia Commons.
According to Eysenck, socially well-adjusted people will have rather narrow ideas about relevance. They will instinctively be more conventional and restrictive in their search. They will thus unconsciously exclude potential solutions that they do not find socially appropriate. They are more limited in their search for potential solutions, and therefore less creative.
On the other hand, less socially adjusted people, who will score quite high on his psychoticism scale, will have ideas about relevance that are much broader and more inclusive than the ideas about relevance of more socially adjusted people. Deep down in their minds, they place less importance on cultural norms, authorities and other social contexts, and therefore such considerations will not limit their search for solutions. Therefore, people with a certain amount of psychoticism are considered to be more creative than very socially adjusted people.
Some test subjects could be tempted to more or less unconsciously score on psychoticism in order to profile themselves as creative. They may not feel as strong professionally, and may therefore be attracted to the idea that they in stead are creative.
This is not a good idea. First of all, most employers are not particularly interested in creativity. They want employees who do what they are told and are able to follow procedures and job descriptions. For example, pilots are supposed to be able to follow detailed emergency procedures, when they have problems.
Eysenck is probably right that a certain level of psychoticism is a prerequisite for creativity, but this does not mean that one can conclude the opposite. That is, if a person is very eccentric, it will imply that he is creative.
8. Typical questions in an Eysenck test
E scorer på "Ekstroversion/Introversion". N scorer på "Neuroticisme/Emotionel Stability". P scorer på "Psychoticism/Normal Socializing". L scorer på "Lie".
As above, a yes to "Are you a fairly lively person?" will score on Extroversion and a no to Introversion.
A yes to "Do most things taste the same to you?" will score on Psychoticism, and a no to Normal Socialization.
A yes to the question "Are you particularly sensitive to some things?" will score on Neuroticism, and a no to Emotional Stability, and so on.
As can be seen, Eysenck, like other psychologists, has a "Lie" scale that is supposed to reveal test takers who are not being sincere. A no to "Have you ever broken or lost something that belonged to someone else?" will score the test taker as not being honest in his answers.
Statements
Scoring
Are you a fairly lively person?
E
Do most things taste the same to you?
P
Are you particularly sensitive to some things?
N
Have you ever broken or lost something that belonged to someone else?
L
Are you a talkative person?
E
Do you hesitate for a moment and think before you do something?
P
Have people said that you sometimes act too rashly?
E
Have you ever taken advantage of others?
L
Do people tell you a lot of lies?
P
Do you like doing things where you have to react quickly?
E
Do you have many different hobbies?
E
Do you often feel that you have "had enough" of something?
N
Are you worried about your health?
N
Do you want other people to be afraid of you?
P
Are there more people who persistently try to avoid you?
P
Are good manners very important?
P
Do you like telling jokes and funny stories to your friends?
E
If you say you're going to do something, do you always keep your promise, no matter how inconvenient it may be?
L
Do you prefer to go your own way rather than follow the rules?
P
Do you often feel that life is very boring?
N
Do you believe that you have special duties towards your family?
P
Do you always practice what you preach?
L
Do you have enemies who want to harm you?
P
Do you go out a lot?
E
Do you often feel lonely?
N
Do you have many friends?
E
Do you often worry about things you shouldn't have done or said?
N
Do you think insurance planning is a good idea?
P
Do you ever feel "just miserable" for no reason?
N
Do you like to arrive at appointments in plenty of time?
P
Have you ever said something bad or nasty about someone?
L
Would it worry you to get into debt?
P
Eysenck tests are available under the names "Eysenck Personality Inventory" (EPI) and "Eysenck Personality Questionnaire" (EPQ), both of which can be with or without the psychoticism scale. They are almost all created by Eysenck & Eysenck, that is, by Hans Eysenck and his son Michael Eysenck.
This article is a contribution to the debate about personality tests and Dalum Hjallese Debate Club assumes no responsibility for any use of the article's content.
