Eysenck's theory—which predicts that those engaging in illegal
behaviors are more extroverted and neurotic than nonoffenders-
was tested on a male high school sample which responded to
questionnaires measuring extroversion, neuroticism, and and self-
reported illegal behaviors. It was found that Eysenck's predictions
regarding a direct, linear relationship between extroversion and
involvement in illegal behavior was generally supported; however,
there was little support for a similar relationship between neuroti
cism and involvement in illegal behavior which his theory also pre
dicts. The relationship between neuroticism and involvement in
illegal behavior was found to be curvilinear but weak. Discrepan
cies between present and past results are discussed in terms of the
nature of the subjects and the analytic approaches used.
