Developmental psychology.pdf

406 Integration of Behavior
Somatotypes and Temperament The most ambitious attempt at establishing a
typology occurred when a group of researchers studied the physiques and temperaments
of approximately 4,000 male college students. This procedure was called somatotyping,
coming from the Greek root soma, meaning "body." Analyses of photographs of the
nude men indicated three basic dimensions of the body, each of which could be rated
on a seven-point scale. One dimension was the endomorphic, involving prominence of
the abdomen and softer body parts; another was the mesomorphic, pertaining chiefly
to muscle tissue; and a third was the ectomorphic, characterized by a lean appearance,
with an absence of flesh. Santa Claus would rate high on endomorphy and low on the
other two dimensions. Jenny would rate highest on mesomorphy and next on ectomorphy.
Abraham Lincoln would be primarily ectomorphic.
In the next step, the subjects were rated for temperament, which refers to the
emotional aspect of personality. Again three types emerged: viscerotonia, in which the
individual is jovial, relaxed, and enjoys bodily comforts; somatotonia, in which the person
is energetic, competitive, and perhaps aggressive; and cerebrotonia, indicating a
thoughtful, restrained, and sensitive individual. A seven-point scale was used and thus
an extremely energetic subject might be rated 1-7-1, meaning low on viscerotonia, high
on somatotonia, and low on cerebrotonia. In contrast, a thoughtful, apprehensive person
might receive a 1-2-7 rating.
The final step was to determine the association between body type and temperament,
and this relationship was found to be quite high. Subjects rated as endomorphic
generally were rated as viscerotonic; those seen as mesomorphic tended to be
somatotonic; and the ectomorphic were rated as cerebrotonic. These results seemed to
provide some confirmation for Shakespeare's view. Rotund people are happy and relaxed
whereas thin people seem to think a great deal (Sheldon, Stevens, & Tucker,
1940).
"From earliest childhood my
sister had been overweight, yet she
was not even remotely "jovial and
relaxed." Indeed, she was strongly
introverted. As a result of not being
able to compete adequately with
her classmates and their constant
teasing, she became more moody,
self-conscious, and unhappy. As a
result, she tended to overeat to
console herself, and the situation
was a vicious circle. This is not to
say that there is no relation
between her physique and
personality. On the contrary, I
believe that there was a very
definite one in my sister's case—
but it was backwards from what the
popular view leads you to expect
Evaluation of Somatotyping There is certainly some association between body
structure and behavior, particularly in the extremes. A short person weighing over 300
pounds cannot be extremely active. An emaciated individual cannot be a boxer. We
often assume that extremely muscular people are aggressive. Our personalities are
determined in part by our bodies and by others' reactions to our physical conditions.*
Despite these considerations, the theory still has little empirical support. A
major weakness in the original study is that the same investigators made the physique
and temperament ratings, thus permitting a possible experimental bias. They even used
a threefold classification and seven-step scale in each instance, increasing the likelihood
of a high correlation. A more convincing demonstration requires fully independent
body typing and personality typing.
When such procedures were used with 300 college men, a decidedly smaller
relationship was obtained (Hood, 1963). Studies with other adults and children also
have shown a lower correlation (Rees, 1961; Walker, 1962). Nevertheless, the possibility
of some association between body type and personality continues to intrigue investigators
(Metzner, 1980).
Identifying Traits
The chief problem with the type approach is that it appears too simple to express the
uniqueness and complexity of human personality. People are more differentiated from
one another and far more complicated than can be indicated in a three-dimensional
system.
A personality type is a broad category, but people display a constellation of
personal traits. The cerebrotonic is said to be thoughtful, restrained, and sensitive, all
of which are traits. The viscerotonic is jovial, relaxed, and so forth. The trait approach