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🥸intro to psychology review

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) is a self-report inventory developed by psychologist Hans Eysenck to measure three major dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. It is a widely used tool in the assessment of personality traits and has been instrumental in the development of Eysenck's trait theory of personality.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire measures three major dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
  2. Extraversion is associated with sociability, assertiveness, and a tendency to experience positive emotions, while neuroticism is associated with emotional instability and a tendency to experience negative emotions.
  3. Psychoticism is a dimension of personality characterized by impulsivity, aggression, and a lack of empathy.
  4. The EPQ has been widely used in research to explore the relationship between personality traits and various psychological and behavioral outcomes.
  5. Eysenck's trait theory of personality suggests that personality is largely influenced by biological factors, such as genetics and neurochemistry, rather than solely by environmental factors.

Review Questions

  • Describe the three major dimensions of personality measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
    • The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) measures three major dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Extraversion is characterized by sociability, assertiveness, and a tendency to experience positive emotions. Neuroticism is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and a tendency to experience negative emotions. Psychoticism is characterized by impulsivity, aggression, and a lack of empathy. These three dimensions are believed to be stable over time and across situations, and they form the foundation of Eysenck's trait theory of personality.
  • Explain how the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire has been used in research to explore the relationship between personality traits and various psychological and behavioral outcomes.
    • The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire has been widely used in research to investigate the links between personality traits and a variety of psychological and behavioral outcomes. For example, studies have examined how extraversion and neuroticism relate to emotional well-being, social functioning, and susceptibility to certain mental health disorders. Researchers have also explored how psychoticism is associated with antisocial behaviors and risk-taking. By using the EPQ to measure these core personality dimensions, researchers have been able to gain valuable insights into the role of individual differences in shaping human behavior and experience.
  • Discuss the theoretical underpinnings of Eysenck's trait theory of personality and how it relates to the development of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
    • Eysenck's trait theory of personality suggests that personality is largely influenced by biological factors, such as genetics and neurochemistry, rather than solely by environmental factors. This theoretical perspective forms the basis for the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), which was designed to measure the three major dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Eysenck believed that these traits were relatively stable over time and could be used to predict and understand various psychological and behavioral outcomes. The development of the EPQ allowed researchers to empirically test Eysenck's theory and explore the relationships between these core personality dimensions and a wide range of human experiences and behaviors.