Which two personality domains are identified as important to understanding criminal offending?

• A. Extraversion and Openness
• B. Neuroticism and Openness
• C. Agreeableness and Conscientiousness
• D. Conscientiousness and Neuroticism

Answer: (C)

Understanding criminal offending is closely linked to personality patterns that combine self-regulation with how we relate to others. Agreeableness and Conscientiousness together capture those two important dimensions. Low Agreeableness means a tendency toward hostility, deceit, or a lack of empathy and cooperativeness, which can make aggressive or exploitative acts more likely. Low Conscientiousness reflects poor impulse control, disorganization, and disregard for consequences, which facilitates rule-breaking and planning lapses. When both are low, a person is more prone to both acting impulsively and disrespecting others’ rights, a combination repeatedly tied to offending in criminology research.

Other trait pairings don’t align as consistently with offending. Extraversion and Openness center on sociability and curiosity, not the self-control and interpersonal pattern that best predict crime. Neuroticism with Openness introduces emotional instability but doesn’t capture the same robust link to criminal behavior as the combination of low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness.