somatotype
- Key People:
- William Sheldon
- Related Topics:
- ectomorph
- mesomorph
- endomorph
- asthenic type
- athletic type
somatotype, in psychology, the discredited idea that human body shape and physique type are associated with personality traits, forming the basis of constitutional psychology. The term somatotype was used in the system of classification of human physical types developed in the 1940s by American psychologist W.H. Sheldon.
In Sheldon’s system humans were classified as to body build in terms of three extreme body types: endomorphic, or round, fat type; mesomorphic, or muscular type; and ectomorphic, or slim, linear type. A somatotype number of three digits was determined for an individual classified by the system, with the first digit referring to endomorphy, the second to mesomorphy, and the third to ectomorphy; each digit was on a scale of 1 to 7. Hence, the extreme endomorph had the somatotype 711, the extreme mesomorph 171, and the extreme ectomorph 117. The classification numbers were negatively correlated, so that a high number in one class precluded high numbers in the others; in practice, extreme types (711, 171, 117) were rare or nonexistent, and the person of normal build had a somatotype approaching 444, evenly balanced between extremes.
Sheldon assigned personality traits to each body type. For example, endomorphs were considered to be extroverted, cheerful, relaxed, and lazy; mesomorphs were described as extroverted, active, and competitive; and ectomorphs were described as introverted, intelligent, quiet, and restrained. In Sheldon’s system personality traits were predicted from somatotype scores.
After the 1950s Sheldon’s constitutional theory increasingly fell out of favour. Particularly problematic was the notion that body type predicted individual personality and morality, even while body composition and mental traits are known to be affected by numerous factors, including diet, exercise, and culture. Moreover, studies of somatotypes were inconclusive, having suffered especially from confounding and inconsistent results. See also ectomorph; endomorph; mesomorph.