BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

Sheldon compared it to the skin of an orange. The hair is basically heavytextured,
and baldness, usually starts at the front of the head. The extreme
mesomorph is Mr. Universe or Tarzan.
Women on the whole tend to have less mesomorph than men and
more endomorph. Women who are primarily mesomorphs rarely show the
same degree of sharp angularity, prominent bone structure and highly
relieved muscles found in their male counterparts. Their contours are
smoother, yet the chest area clearly dominates over the abdominal area and
both upper and lower arms and legs are well-muscled. The skin tends to be
finer than in the male mesomorph, but shows some of the same
characteristics in terms of tanning and wrinkling.
The Extreme Ectomorph – Linear
The highly ectomorph physique is fragile and delicate with light
bones and slight muscles. The limbs are relatively long and the shoulders
droop. In contrast to the compactness of the endomorph and mesomorph,
the ectomorph is extended in space and linear. The ribs are visible and
delicate and the thighs and upper arms weak. The fingers, toes and neck
are long. The features of the face are sharp and fragile, and the shape of
the face as a whole is triangular with the point of the triangle at the chin.
The teeth are often crowded in the lower jaw which is somewhat receding.
The skin is dry and is like the outer skin of an onion. It tends to burn and
peel easily and not retain a tan. The relatively great bodily area in relation
to mass makes the ectomorph suffer from extreme heat or cold. The hair is
fine and fast-growing and sometimes difficult to keep in place. Baldness is
rare. The extreme ectomorph in our society is the absent-minded
professor.
Once we had grasped these three basic elements we tried to
recognize them in ourselves and our friends. We, indeed, found some
people who were extreme endomorphs, or mesomorphs or ectomorphs,
with little of the other components, but there were not many of them. Most
of the people we knew were a bewildering variety of combinations, and we
practiced mentally weighing how much of each component they had.
Sheldon liked to draw a body type diagram on which he plotted the
different body types. Here's where he placed the extreme endomorph,
mesomorph and ectomorph:
33