Learn about William Sheldon and his somatotyping. Read about Sheldon's body types: mesomorph, endomorph, and ectomorph body type. Find out features of body types.
Updated: 11/21/2023
William Sheldon's Body Type Theory | Overview & Criticism
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is meant by somatotyping?
The idea of somatotyping in psychology was created by Sheldon. It is defined as the classification of human beings into three groups based on their body type, or build; an ectomorph, an endomorph, or a mesomorph.
When did William Sheldon classify human personality?
He spent the majority of his professional life studying body types and personality types in humans. He carried out a large number of surveys on the association between somatotypes and temperament type. He recognized three basic human personality types that he called Viscerotonia, Somatotonia, and Cerebrotonia. Sheldon outlined these results in 1954, in Atlas of Men.
What is William Sheldon known for?
William Sheldon was an American psychologist and physician. Influenced by the pragmatism of philosopher William James and by his own experience as a naturalist, he created the field of somatotype and constitutional psychology that associates body types with personality and delinquency.
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ShowWilliam Sheldon was an American psychologist and physician, born on November 19, 1898, in Rhode Island, the USA. His father, William Herbert Sheldon, was a naturalist and animal breeder, and his godfather, William James, was a renowned psychologist and philosopher.
Sheldon received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1926. After teaching psychology at various universities, he joined the University of Oregon and later became a distinguished professor of medicine and director of the constitutional laboratory.
Sheldon studied the relationships between physical and psychological characteristics. Influenced by the pragmatism of philosopher William James and by his own experience as a naturalist, he created the field of somatotype and constitutional psychology that associates body types with personality and delinquency. He outlined his somatotype theory in The Varieties of Human Physique: An Introduction to Constitutional Psychology (1940), The Varieties of Temperament: A Psychology of Constitutional Differences (1942), and Atlas of Men: A Guide for Somatotyping the Adult Male at All Ages (1954).
Sheldon's Somatotyping
The idea of somatotyping in psychology was created by Sheldon. It is defined as the classification of human beings into three groups based on their body type, or build; an ectomorph, an endomorph, or a mesomorph. Sheldon's classification was based on the careful examination of up to four thousand nude photographs of college-age men in different views (front view, side view, and back view). Sheldon became convinced that there were three essential elements that determine each person's body build or somatotype. Assuming a sort of relationship between these elements and three layers of the human embryo (the endoderm, the mesoderm, and the ectoderm) he named his somatotypes endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph. He hypothesized that somatotypes vary in the innate focus of their bodies towards their stomachs, their muscles, or their nervous systems. He acknowledged that extreme somatotypes are rare in a population and the majority of individuals are classified according to their degree of the tendency toward each somatotype.
Sheldon was strongly influenced by Ernst Kretschmer's constitutional psychology, which used a similar classification of body types. However, Kretschmer's aim was to associate body types with psychiatric syndromes while Sheldon was more interested in personality. Sheldon carried out a large number of surveys on the association between somatotypes and temperament type. He recognized three basic human personality types that he called viscerotonia, somatotonia, and cerebrotonia. Sheldon came to believe that each of these personality types is closely correlated with one of three human body types (somatypes).
Mesomorph Body Type
Mesomorphs have triangular, strong, muscular bodies. Their body is considered as being focused on musculature and the circulatory system. They show a tendency toward a somatotonic personality. They are filled with energy, courage, and assertive tendencies. Extreme somatotonics also tend to be keen on doing well in physical competition. Sheldon links this body type with delinquent tendencies.
Endomorph Body Type
Endomorphs are characterized by being rounded and tending towards fleshiness. Their body is focused on the digestive system, particularly the stomach. They have a far longer digestive tract than other body types. Their personality types tend toward being viscerotonic. They are relaxed, easygoing, extroverted, fond of eating, and sociable
Ectomorph Body Type
Ectomorphs are slender and fine-boned and tend towards a slightness of musculature. Their body is focused on the nervous system and the brain. They are characterized by a cerebrotonic personality type. They are known as introverted, thoughtful, sensitive, and artistic individuals. They have a marked need for privacy and tend to be highly socially restrained.
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Sheldon was interested in understanding criminal behavior. He later used his somatotypes to explain delinquent behavior. According to his findings, mesomorphic body type individuals were delinquents and more likely to commit violent and aggressive acts when compared to the other two body types. He, therefore, concluded that criminality has a biological basis. He claimed that body physiology is the main determinant of personal character and behavior.
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The constitutional psychological theory of Sheldon was groundbreaking at its time and was used in serious attempts to characterize personality. However, many of his theories were later criticized and discredited by researchers because of small sample sizes, as well as confounding and inconsistent results. Many individuals assigned to the mesomorphic (supposedly delinquent) type had not conducted any criminal activity but just had tendencies for criminal activity. His study only focused on men and it was not clear to what extent his conclusions can be applied to women. He also ignored other influential factors, such as the individual's environment, which can contribute to the body's physics and personal character.
To summarize, the main drawbacks of Sheldon's theory were that his samples were not representative and that he mistook correlation for causation. Although Sheldon's idea has been pushed back into the closet or kept unknown to today's criminologists, he contributed some new concepts and words to the criminological vocabulary.
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William Sheldon was an American psychologist and physician. Influenced by the pragmatism of philosopher William James and by his own experience as a naturalist, he created the field of somatotype and constitutional psychology that associates body types with personality and delinquency. He classified human beings into three groups based on their body type, or build; an ectomorph, an endomorph, or a mesomorph. Sheldon also studied the association between somatotypes and temperament type and suggested that each personality type is closely correlated with one of three human body types.
Mesomorphs have triangular, strong, muscular bodies. They are active and energetic with assertive tendencies. Sheldon links this body type with delinquent tendencies. Endomorphs are characterized by being rounded and tending towards fleshiness. They are relaxed, easygoing, extroverted, and sociable. Ectomorphs are slender and fine-boned and tend towards a slightness of musculature. They are known as introverted, thoughtful, sensitive, and artistic individuals and tend to be highly socially restrained. The theory of Sheldon was groundbreaking at its time but was later criticized and discredited by researchers because of its small sample sizes, as well as confounding and inconsistent results.
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Video Transcript
Who Is William Sheldon?
We all draw conclusions about people based on how they look. Maybe we think blondes aren't smart or that all skinny men with glasses are scientists. As humans, we tend to label folks, or describe them in a few words based only on a quick glance. We also know this system is flawed; you actually can't judge a book by its cover. Take a look at some famous blondes like biologist Jane Goodall or Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for evidence!
We now know that we can't judge people based on appearances, but some interesting observations on the subject were made by William Sheldon, an early American psychologist born on November 19, 1898. Sheldon was a watcher of people who took his observations and formed a theory about them. Sheldon published a system of classifying people based on their body types in two documents: The Varieties of Human Physique in 1940 and The Varieties of Temperament in 1942.
Sheldon used his observations to classify body types into three categories: ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. Let's look at them in more depth.
Ectomorph
The ectomorph, according to Sheldon, was a thin, introverted person with poor social skills. Think of television's Steve Urkel or Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or even Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. These characters possess the ectomorph body type:
- narrow hips, shoulders, face, chest
- skinny arms and legs
- high forehead
Ectomorphs were thought to have the following personality characteristics:
- socially awkward
- self-conscious
- introverted and private
- artistic
- thoughtful
Endomorph
Now reverse your thinking. What personality jumps into your head when you think of Santa Claus? Do you naturally associate a jolly, fun personality with people who are rounder in physique? If so, you're putting Sheldon's body type theory into practice. Santa Claus possesses the endomorph body type, which is a rounder body and more relaxed personality, with the following physical characteristics:
- pear-shaped or round with wide shoulders and hips
- high body fat in all areas, including arms and thighs
- slim ankles and wrists, adding to the 'funny' characteristic
Sheldon thought endomorphic people had personalities that were:
- outgoing
- funny
- loving
- laid-back
- attention-seeking
Mesomorph
When you think of a mesomorph, picture Bradley Cooper or Angelina Jolie. The mesomorph is a square body with an active personality and considered a more desirable body and personality. They have the following physical characteristics:
- broad shoulders and a narrow waist
- a trim or muscular body with a 'strong' feel
- proportionate facial features
Not only did they get the goods on looks, according to Sheldon's theory they also had the following qualities:
- outgoing
- courageous
- full of life
- competitive
- risk-takers
- indifferent to others' opinions
Why Body Type Theory?
You may be wondering why Sheldon was interested in stereotyping people in this way. Sheldon was interested in criminology; he wanted to classify delinquent behavior, or the behavior of criminals. Sheldon theorized more delinquents were mesomorphs because of their aggressive behavior and lack of forethought.
At the time, Sheldon's work was considered groundbreaking but it was quickly questioned. Does it sound reliable to you? Those who look closely at his theory soon realize it overgeneralizes, or draws conclusions about an event without enough specific evidence to support it. Science does not support that the type of body one has is related to personality traits.
Lesson Summary
Body type theory is a concept developed by William Sheldon in the mid-1940s. While studying criminology, Sheldon declared that there were three basic body types that correlated with personalities: the ectomorph, a skinny, scared and shy person; the endomorph, a round, happy and genial person; and the mesomorph, a muscular, outgoing and often attractive person. Though there are people who indeed fit into these stereotypes, the categories are too broad and general to be scientifically acceptable.
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William Sheldon's Body Type Theory | Overview & Criticism
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