Eysenck's introversion-extraversion and psychoticism theory and it's relationship with job satisfaction among Kenyan warders

Abstract

This study was carried out in two Kenyan prisons to help determine the personality traits of the warders. This arose out of concern from public outcry about some prisoners dying while in custody under unclear circumstances. A case in point was the death of 7 inmates at Meru Prison. Investigations revealed that the warders might have used excessive force. This study sought to find out whether certain personality traits in the warders were a probable cause, and if so, explore the level of job satisfaction among the warders. The literature reviewed suggested that there was a correlation between personality traits and the behaviour of an individual. This, in a way, affects the performance of these individuals in their duties. Eysenck's theory expounded on this and took care of the ignored groups i.e the bounder-liners and cross-segment individuals. It stipulated that personality differences are relevant in accounting for both occupational choice and job performance, (Eysenck 1975). The study subjects consisted of 90 prison officers from Langata and Thika prisons. Random sampling was used to determine the subjects. Eysenck's personality inventory was used to determine the personality trait of concern and whether the warders were extroverts or introverts. And whatever the traits, were they psychotic or not. The study also sought to link these personality traits to job satisfaction. Pearson's correlation coefficient was done to test if there were any significant differences between variables. The results were critically examined. Most of the warders were found to be extroverts, scoring a mean of 19.36 out of an aggregate of 35, with a percentage score of 55.31%. There was no significant difference between the genders on extroversion. Further analysis showed that most of the warders were satisfied with their job. However they indicated the need for improvement in housing and promotional procedures. The two genders held the same sentiments about their job. On psychoticism, generally warders were found not psychotic. The implications of the results were drawn and recommendations were proffered to encourage public policy to improve on the job conditions of the warders.