H. J. Eysenck

Originally published in 1952, The Scientific Study of Personality contains an account of experiments carried out at the Institute of Psychiatry (University of London) during the five years which had elapsed since the publication of Dimensions of Personality. These experiments were integrated into a consistent conceptual scheme of personality, description and development, covering neurotic and psychotic as well as ‘normal’ people. The first chapters give an introduction to the principles of dimensional analysis as a scientific method; the central part of the book makes use of these principles in attempting to answer some of the main problems of personality analysis; the last part presents the application of the findings to a variety of practical problems. Among the fundamental problems submitted to experiment are the relation between neurosis and psychosis, the inheritance of emotional instability, the relative usefulness of ‘atomistic’ and ‘gestalt’ methods of approach, the verification of typological schemes, such as those of Kretschmer and Jung, the possibility of exact measurement of dimensions of personality, and the validity and reliability of the statistical method as compared with techniques using ‘insight’ and interpretation. Among the practical problems to which the results of these researches have been applied are the psychological after-effects of leucotomy, the prediction of work-efficiency of paroled mental defectives, the selection of students and nurses, and the work adjustment of factory workers. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1952. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

Originally published in 1953, this third edition was first published in 1970. It was one of the early attempts at bringing together theories of personality organisation and finding empirical evidence to test their hypotheses. This third edition includes additional chapters and updated references to current research of the time. It is a particular feature of this book that a large number of figures are reproduced in the text; this is essentially a consequence of the writer’s belief that diagrammatic representations are better suited to the transmitting and remembering of information than are words or numbers. The first chapter outlines the theories and discusses some of their implications, the second and third look at methods of analysis and projective techniques, while the rest of the book is devoted to a critical presentation of the evidence, arranged according to the technique employed – rating, self-rating, objective testing, constitutional assessment, autonomic measurement, and so on. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

When Crime and Personality was first published in 1964, J. A. C. Brown, writing in the New Statesman, commented: ‘There can be no doubt of the importance of Professor Eysenck’s book on the nature and treatment of criminal behaviour.’ This third edition originally published in 1977 had been completely revised and brought up to date, and although the major theory linking personality and crime has been retained, many of the details have been changed in conformity with recent research of the time. The book presents a theory concerning the personality of criminals, and offers evidence to show that these personality features characterising criminals are based on genetic foundations. It is argued that criminality as a whole is not exclusively based on environmental factors as has so often been suggested, but has a strong biological basis. A good deal of evidence is reviewed showing that there are many data supporting this view, from studies of identical and fraternal twins, adopted children, and comparisons between criminals and non-criminals both in the Western world and in Communist countries. Professor Eysenck suggests that important consequences follow from such an attempt to redress the one-sided emphasis on environmental factors which had been so characteristic of the previous fifty years, and some of these consequences are described in detail. He further suggests that only proper understanding of the psychological factors making for antisocial behaviour will help in reversing the increasing burden that criminality places upon society. The book also takes issue with political arguments of the time regarding the origins of criminality, and shows that criminals behind the Iron Curtain show the same personality characteristics as do criminals in Western countries.

Originally published in 1965 this book was an introduction to post-Freudian methods of diagnosing and treating neurotics of the time. These methods were known collectively as ‘behaviour therapy’, a term indicating their derivation from modern behaviourism, learning theory, and conditioning principles. In the early twentieth century John B. Watson pointed out that ‘psychology, as the behaviourist views it, is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behaviour.’ Behaviour therapy attempts to extend this control to the field of neurotic disorders, and in doing so it makes use of experimental laboratory findings, and of theories based on these. It was seen as the very opposite of the position taken by psychoanalysis. The authors believed that, by the late twentieth century, behaviour therapy would be ‘firmly established as one of the most important, if not the most important, weapon in the hands of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists’.

Originally published in 1953, this third edition was first published in 1970. It was one of the early attempts at bringing together theories of personality organisation and finding empirical evidence to test their hypotheses. This third edition includes additional chapters and updated references to current research of the time. It is a particular feature of this book that a large number of figures are reproduced in the text; this is essentially a consequence of the writer’s belief that diagrammatic representations are better suited to the transmitting and remembering of information than are words or numbers. The first chapter outlines the theories and discusses some of their implications, the second and third look at methods of analysis and projective techniques, while the rest of the book is devoted to a critical presentation of the evidence, arranged according to the technique employed – rating, self-rating, objective testing, constitutional assessment, autonomic measurement, and so on. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

When Crime and Personality was first published in 1964, J. A. C. Brown, writing in the New Statesman, commented: ‘There can be no doubt of the importance of Professor Eysenck’s book on the nature and treatment of criminal behaviour.’ This third edition, originally published in 1977, had been completely revised and brought up to date, and although the major theory linking personality and crime has been retained, many of the details have been changed in conformity with recent research of the time. The book presents a theory concerning the personality of criminals, and offers evidence to show that these personality features characterising criminals are based on genetic foundations. It is argued that criminality as a whole is not exclusively based on environmental factors as has so often been suggested, but has a strong biological basis. A good deal of evidence is reviewed showing that there are many data supporting this view, from studies of identical and fraternal twins, adopted children, and comparisons between criminals and non-criminals both in the Western world and in Communist countries. Professor Eysenck suggests that important consequences follow from such an attempt to redress the one-sided emphasis on environmental factors which had been so characteristic of the previous fifty years, and some of these consequences are described in detail. He further suggests that only proper understanding of the psychological factors making for antisocial behaviour will help in reversing the increasing burden that criminality places upon society. The book also takes issue with political arguments of the time regarding the origins of criminality, and shows that criminals behind the Iron Curtain show the same personality characteristics as do criminals in Western countries.

Originally published in 1965 this book was an introduction to post-Freudian methods of diagnosing and treating neurotics of the time. These methods were known collectively as ‘behaviour therapy’, a term indicating their derivation from modern behaviourism, learning theory, and conditioning principles. In the early twentieth century John B. Watson pointed out that ‘psychology, as the behaviourist views it, is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behaviour.’ Behaviour therapy attempts to extend this control to the field of neurotic disorders, and in doing so it makes use of experimental laboratory findings, and of theories based on these. It was seen as the very opposite of the position taken by psychoanalysis. The authors believed that, by the late twentieth century, behaviour therapy would be ‘firmly established as one of the most important, if not the most important, weapon in the hands of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists’.

In view of the practical importance of neurotic disorders (with something like one-third of the population suffering such dis­ turbances at some time of their lives) and the equally great theoretical importance of types of behaviour that clearly seem to contradict both common sense and the law of effect, one might have expected that psychologists would develop consis­ tent and testable theories of neurosis and that there would be many textbooks outlining these theories and describing the experiments done to test them. Oddly enough nothing of the kind seems to have happened. There is a dearth of theories of neurosis; those that do exist are not usually put in a readily testable form, and the amount of research that has been done in order to test these theories is nothing like as large as one might have hoped. Nor are there many books setting out the various theories, the arguments for and against and the empiri­ cal evidence; in fact, this may be the only book to have under­ taken this task in the past 20 or 30 years. It is fortunate that the author has succeeded in what is an extremely difficult and complex task. He has examined issues and theories dispassionately and impartially, has clarified the contradictions inherent in most theories and has wisely refused to come to any kind of final judgment about the adequacy of the given theories.

Including volumes originally published between 1910 and 1957, this set clearly shows the evolution of approaches to and definitions of conditions such as nervous anxiety, neuroses, hysteria, delinquency, insanity and mental illness. It provides a compelling insight into how attitudes have changed to such states during this century. Other subjects covered include psychotherapy with children, personality, abnormal psychology, the relationship between brain and personality and psychotic art.

Genius: The Natural History of Creativity presents a novel theory of genius and creativity, based on the personality characteristics of creative persons and geniuses. Starting with the fact that genius and creativity are related to psychopathology, it uses modern research into the causes of cognitive over-inclusiveness to suggest possible applications of these theories to creativity. Professor Eysenck reports experimental research to support these theories in their application to creativity, as well as considering the role of intelligence, social status, gender and many other factors that have been linked with genius and creativity. The theory traces creativity from DNA through personality to special cognitive processes to genius.