Psychologist Hans Eysenck Biography

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Hans Eysenck was born in Germany but moved to England after turning 18 and spent most of his working life there. His research interests were broad, but he is perhaps best known for his theories of personality and intelligence.

Eysenck's theory of personality focused on temperaments, which he believed were largely controlled by genetic influences. He utilized a statistical technique known as factor analysis to identify what he believed were the two primary dimensions of personality: extraversion and neuroticism. He later added a third dimension known as psychoticism.

Eysenck was a hugely influential figure in psychology. At the time of his death in 1997, he was the most-frequently cited psychologist in scientific journals.

Despite his influence, Eysneck was also a controversial figure. His suggestion that racial differences in intelligence were due to genetics rather than environment generated a tremendous amount of pushback.

Learn more about his life and influence on psychology in this brief biography.

Birth and Death

  • Eysenck was born on March 4, 1916
  • He died on September 4, 1997

Early Life

Hans Eysenck was born in Germany to parents who were noted film and stage actors. After his parents divorced when he was only two, he was raised almost entirely by his grandmother. His antipathy toward Hitler and the Nazis led him to leave Germany for England when he was 18.

Because of his German citizenship, he found it difficult to find work in England. He eventually went to school to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University College London in 1940 under the supervision of psychologist Cyril Burt, who is best-known for his research on the heritability of intelligence.

Career

During World War II, Eysenck worked as a research psychologist at Mill Hill Emergency Hospital. He later founded the psychology department at the University of London Institute of Psychiatry, where he worked until 1983. He served as Professor Emeritus at the school until his death in 1997. He was also an extremely prolific writer. Over the course of his career, Eysenck published more than 75 books and over 1,600 journal articles. Prior to his death, he was the most frequently cited living psychologist.

Contributions to Psychology

In addition to being one of the most famous psychologists, Eysenck was also one of the most controversial. One of his earliest controversies revolved around a paper he wrote in 1952 on the effects of psychotherapy. In the paper, Eysenck reported that two-thirds of therapy patients improved significantly or recovered within two years, regardless of whether or not they received psychotherapy.

He was also a vocal critic of psychoanalysis, dismissing it as unscientific. You can hear Eysenck describe his views on Freudian theory and psychoanalytic treatment in this video: Hans J. Eysenck, Ph.D. Lifetalk with Roberta Russell on Psychoanalysis

The greatest controversy surrounding Eysenck was his view of the heritability of intelligence, more specifically his view that racial differences in intelligence could be partially attributed to genetic factors. After one of his students was criticized for publishing a paper suggesting that genetics were responsible for racial differences in intelligence, Eysenck defended him and later published The IQ Argument: Race, Intelligence, and Education, which incited considerable controversy and criticism. His 1990 autobiography took a more moderate view that ascribed greater importance to the role of environment and experience in shaping intelligence.

While Hans Eysenck was certainly controversial, his wide-ranging research had a major influence on psychology. In addition to his work in personality and intelligence, he also played a major role in establishing approaches to clinical training and psychotherapy that were firmly rooted in empirical research and science.

Selected Publications

Eysenck, H. J. (1947). Dimensions of Personality. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Eysenck, H. J. (1952). The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluation. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 16(5), 319-324.

Eysenck, H. J. (1979). The Structure and Measurement of Intelligence. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Eysenck. H. J. (1985). Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire. Washington, D.C.: Scott-Townsend Publishers.

6 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Soliemanifar O, Soleymanifar A, Afrisham R. Relationship between personality and biological reactivity to stress: A review. Psychiatry Investigation. 2018;15(12):1100-1114. doi:10.30773/pi.2018.10.14.2

  2. Chapman BP, Weiss A, Barrett P, Duberstein P. Hierarchical structure of the Eysenck Personality Inventory in a large population sample: Goldberg's trait-tier mapping procedure. Pers Individ Dif. 2013;54(4):479-484. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2012.09.024

  3. Pelosi AJ. Personality and fatal diseases: Revisiting a scientific scandal. J Health Psychol. 2019;24(4):421-439. doi:10.1177/1359105318822045

  4. Eysenck HJ. The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluationJournal of Consulting Psychology. 1952;16(5):319–324. doi:10.1037/h0063633

  5. Sauce B, Matzel LD. The paradox of intelligence: Heritability and malleability coexist in hidden gene-environment interplay. Psychol Bull. 2018;144(1):26-47. doi:10.1037/bul0000131

  6. Hofmann SG, Hayes SC. The future of intervention science: Process-based therapy. Clin Psychol Sci. 2019;7(1):37-50. doi:10.1177/2167702618772296

Additional Reading
  • Eysenck, HJ. Rebel with a Cause: The Autobiography of Hans Eysenck. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers; 1990.

  • Eysenck, HJ. The IQ Argument: Race, Intelligence, and Education. New York: Library Press; 1971.

  • Haggbloom SJ, Warnick R, Warnick JE, et al. The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Review of General Psychology. 2002;6(2),139–152. doi:10.1037//1089-2680.6.2.139

  • McLoughlin, CS. Eysenck, Hans Jurgen. In: Kazdin AE, ed. Encyclopedia of Psychology. Vol 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2000:310-311.

  • Schatzman M. Obituary: Professor Hans Eysenck. The Independent. Published September 8, 1997.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."