Criminal Propensity and Personality Traits Among Adolescents: Analysing the Role of Psychoticism, Extraversion and Neuroticism.

Background: Adolescence represents a critical developmental phase characterised by rapid biological, psychological and social changes. During this period, vulnerabilities such as aggression, delinquency and rule-breaking behaviours often emerge. Personality traits, particularly those described in Eysenck's Psychoticism-Extraversion-Neuroticism (PEN) model, psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism, have long been associated with antisocial tendencies. However, empirical evidence from non-Western contexts, including India, remains limited. Purpose: The present study examined how psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism are related to one another when considered together as a combined measure of criminal propensity among Indian adolescents. It further explored gender and regional differences in this composite disposition across Gujarat and Maharashtra. Methods: Using an ex post facto, cross-sectional design, data were collected from 814 adolescents aged 15-19 years from schools in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Criminal Propensity Scale (Sanyal, 2018) was administered to assess psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism and response tendencies measured through the Lie scale. Criminal propensity was treated as a composite dispositional index derived from the PEN dimensions. Analyses included Pearson's correlations among personality traits and independent-samples Results: Significant intercorrelations were observed among psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism, indicating coherent personality configurations reflected in composite criminal propensity scores. Gender differences in the composite criminal propensity index were negligible and statistically nonsignificant. In contrast, adolescents from Maharashtra demonstrated significantly higher composite criminal propensity scores than those from Gujarat, although the effect size was small. Lie scale correlations suggested the presence of socially desirable responding, highlighting a potential methodological influence rather than substantive psychological traits. Conclusion: The findings highlight the relevance of personality configuration patterns, rather than predictive effects, in understanding self-reported criminal propensity during adolescence. The absence of gender differences suggests comparable dispositional profiles across male and female adolescents within the present sample, while modest regional variations indicate the possible influence of contextual factors. The study contributes culturally grounded evidence from India and emphasizes the need for cautious interpretation of composite personality indices in criminological research.