dr william sheldon

8/12/2019 Dr William Sheldon

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Dr William Sheldon'sSomatotypes

In the 1940s, Sheldon developed a theory thatthere are three basic body types, or somatotypes (based on the three tissue layers: endoderm,mesoderm, and ectoderm), each associated with

personality characteristics, representing acorrelation between physi ue and temperament

Endomorphy - focused on the digestivesystem, particularly the stomach(endoderm ); has the tendency towardplumpness, corresponds to Viscerotonia

temperament tolerant, love of comfort and luxury, extravert

Mesophorphy - focused on musculature and the circulatory system ( mesoderm ), hasthe tendency towards muscularity, corresponds to the Somatotonia temperamentcourageous, energetic, active, dynamic, assertive, aggressive, risk taker

Ectomorphy focused on the nervous system and the brain ( ectoderm ) - thetendency towards slightness, corresponds to Cerebrotonia temperament artistic,sensitive, apprehensive, introvert

!n this basis, Sheldon created his very interesting Atlas of Men ("acmillan #ub $o% 19&0) in which all

possible body types are graded in a scale 'rom 1 (low) to & (high), based on the degree to which theymatched these types% with 4 as average) ach type is represented by a series o' photos, and is given acomical or descriptive name, li*e +saber tooth tiger+ 'or e treme mesomorph, + Baluchitherium + (thelargest prehistoric land mammal) 'or mesomorph and endomorph, +"ale "os uito+ 'or the e tremeectomorph, and so on !n this scale, the e treme or pure mesomorph has a score o' 1-&-1, the pureendomorph &-1-1, and the pure ectomorph 1-1-& "ost people o' course are a combination o' types.he atlas re'erred to "ale typology only% a 'emale atlas was planned but never produced


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Endomorphic Body Type: soft body underdeveloped

muscles round shaped over-developed

digestive system

Associated personality traits: love of food tolerant evenness of emotions love of comfort sociable good humored relaxed

need for affection

Mesomorphic Body Type: hard, muscular body overly mature

appearance rectangular shaped thick skin upright posture

Associated personality traits: adventurous desire for power and

dominance courageous indifference to what

others think or want assertive, bold zest for physical activity competitive

love of risk and chance


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Ectomorphic Body Type: thin flat chest delicate build young appearance tall lightly muscled stoop-shouldered large brain

Associated personality traits: self-conscious preference for privacy introverted inhibited socially anxious artistic mentally intense

emotionally restrained

Body and Temperament Types

!ne day, a'ter reading a short description o' Sheldon/s wor*, we 'ound a copy o' his Atlas of Men inthe local library .his boo* contained over a thousand care'ully posed photos o' nearly nude men.he children crowded around im as he 'lipped through the pages, and they pointed and giggled venthough we had learned to see people 'rom the point o' view o' psychological types, it had neveroccurred to us to loo* at their bodies Sheldon/s wor* was to change that e began to reali2e thatSheldon was one o' those rare men, li*e ung, who had pioneered a new way o' trac*ing who we are3ut he wasn/t going to ma*e any sense unless we made the e''ort to open our eyes and learn by

practice how to see 'or ourselves et/s start by loo*ing at the basics o' Sheldon/s body andtemperament types

Who was William Sheldon?

illiam Sheldon (1595-19&&) was an 6merican psychologist who devoted his li'e to observing thevariety o' human bodies and temperaments 7e taught and did research at a number o'8 S universities and is best *nown 'or his series o' boo*s on the human constitution 7e was a *eenobserver o' animals and birds as a child, and he turned this talent to good e''ect by becoming an avid

people-watcher, and out o' his observations he gradually elaborated his typology


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beginning at the top o' the head and spreading in a polished circle .he hair is 'ine and the whole headis spherical .he head is large and the 'ace broad and rela ed with the 'eatures blending into an over-all impression o' roundness .he head is li*e a pump*in sitting on a barrel, and the abdomen is li*e asphere with the chest attached to it li*e an inverted 'unnel

Sheldon imagined the body o' the endomorph as a balloon whose walls were thinner at the abdomenand thic*er 'urther away hen the balloon was in'lated it was largest at the abdomen and smallest atthe 'arthest e tremities Santa $laus is our society/s image o' the e treme endomorph

The E treme Mesomorph ! Muscles

In the e tremely mesomorphic physi ue, or 1-&-1, there is a s uareness and hardness o' the body dueto large bones and well-de'ined muscles .he chest area, which Sheldon li*ened to an engine room,dominates over the abdominal area and tapers to a relatively narrow, low waist .he bones andmuscles o' the head are prominent as well, with clearly de'ined chee* bones and a s uare, heavy ;aw.he 'ace is long and broad and the head tends towards a cubical shape .he muscles on either side o'the nec* create a pyramid-li*e e''ect 3oth the lower and upper arms and legs are well-developed and

the wrists and 'ingers are heavy and massive .he s*in is thic* and tends towards coarseness It ta*esand holds a tan well and can develop a leathery appearance with heavy wrin*les Sheldon compared itto the s*in o' an orange .he hair is basically heavy-te tured, and baldness, when it appears, usuallystarts at the 'ront o' the head .he e treme mesomorph is "r 8niverse or .ar2an

Sheldon/s initial wor* with body and temperament types was based mostly on men, and it is in thedescription o' the e treme mesomorph that we have the most need to develop a corresponding 'emalemesomorphic description omen on the whole tend to have less mesomorphy than men and moreendomorphy omen who are primarily mesomorphs rarely show the same degree o' sharpangularity, prominent bone structure and highly relieved muscles 'ound in their male counterparts.heir contours are smoother, yet the chest area clearly dominates over the abdominal area and both

upper and lower arms and legs are well-muscled .he s*in tends to be 'iner than in the malemesomorph, but shows some o' the same characteristics in terms o' tanning and wrin*ling


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The E treme Ectomorph ! #inear

.he highly ectomorphic physi ue, or 1-1-&, is 'ragile and delicate with light bones and slight muscles

.he limbs are relatively long and the shoulders droop In contrast to the compactness o' theendomorph and mesomorph, the ectomorph is e tended in space and linear .he ribs are visible anddelicate and the thighs and upper arms wea* .he 'ingers, toes and nec* are long .he 'eatures o' the'ace are sharp and 'ragile, and the shape o' the 'ace as a whole is triangular with the point o' thetriangle at the chin .he teeth are o' ten crowded in the lower ;aw which is somewhat receding .hes*in is dry and is li*e the outer s*in o' an onion It tends to burn and peel easily and not retain a tan.he relatively great bodily area in relation to mass ma*es the ectomorph su''er 'rom e treme heat orcold .he hair is 'ine and 'ast-growing and sometimes di''icult to *eep in place 3aldness is rare .hee treme ectomorph in our society is the absent-minded pro'essor or Ichabod $rane

Body Type "eco$nition

!nce we had grasped these three basic elements we tried to recogni2e them in ourselves and our'riends e, indeed, 'ound some people who were e treme endomorphs, or mesomorphs orectomorphs, with little o' the other components, but there were not many o' them "ost o' the peoplewe *new were a bewildering variety o' combinations, and we practiced mentally weighing how mucho' each component they had im, 'or e ample, had very little endomorphy 7e was one o' thosein'uriating people who could eat and eat and never seem to gain a pound 7e had some mesomorphy,

but probably not as much as the average man 3ut he did have a lot o' ectomorphy 7e was tall andthin with long arms and legs, and a slight stoop to his shoulders !ne 'riend was muscular and lean,while another was muscular and bul*y 6nd so on 6nd slowly we began to recogni2e eight basic

body types

e have already met the 'irst three in which one o' the components stands out Sheldon li*ed to drawa body type diagram on which he plotted the di''erent body types 7ere/s where he placed the e tremeendomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph:


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!ther people were strong in two elements, and had less o' the third .hey 'ell in between the poles o'Sheldon/s diagram our o' these combinations captured our attention .here was the he'ty muscular

person, the muscular thin person, and close to him, the thinner yet still muscular person, and betweenthe ectomorph and the endomorph the person who was spread out and round without really beingmuscular

inally there were the people who had a lot o' each component, and they 'ell right in the middle o'Sheldon/s diagram, and the completed diagram loo*ed li*e this:


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I' we ta*e a tour o' Sheldon/s body type diagram, the endomorph/s silhouette loo*s li*e a pearurther up north we meet the endomorphic mesomorph 7is abdomen is not uite as massive 7is

shoulders are bul*ier, and this creates a rectangular shape "uch o' the so'tness o' the endomorph isgone, replaced by a 'eeling o' solidness .he endomorphic mesomorph is li*e a bull !nce we hit thee treme mesomorphic pole the bul* o' the abdomen has dwindled even 'urther, and there/s a strongcontrast between the relatively narrow waist and hips and the power'ul shoulders and arms =oingdown the other side towards the ectomorphic pole we have the ectomorphic mesomorph 7e is lessheavily built, but still muscular 7is neighbor to the south has an e ual measure o' mesomorphy and

ectomorphy, ma*ing him thin and muscular .hen comes the more e treme ectomorph, and betweenhim and the endomorph, the ectomorphic endomorph, who is perhaps the hardest to recogni2e 7e isspread out and round without being muscular In the middle are mid-range physi ues well endowedwith all the basic elements 6nd somewhere in this panoramic rainbow o' physi ues is you $an you'ind yoursel'>

3ody type recognition is easier than 'iguring out psychological types because bodies are naturallymuch more visible 3ut it is still a s*ill that has to be ac uired by practice 6nd Sheldon had it in thehighest degree 7e was a consummate body type trac*er 7e didn/t limit himsel' to his laboratory

photographs, but wandered about beaches and rode the subway in search o' interesting and unusual physi ues 7e could loo* across a street and tell the di''erence between a ?-@-A and a ?-A-@ .his

level o' s*ill too* a li'etime o' dedication, but it is possible 'or us to ac uire the basics i' we wor* atit

!ne o' the unresolved problems o' body type recognition is the uestion o' the physi ues o' women Ihave already mentioned that they are more endomorphic and less mesomorphic, but they are alsomore mid-range Bou see more e treme physi ues among men than among women, e cept 'or theendomorphs omen are grouped more toward the cent o' the body type diagram and that ma*estheir somatotypes harder to distinguish 'rom one another 6 'emale ectomorph, 'or e ample, o'ten hasa lot more endomorphy than a male ectomorph 3ut still and all, it/s possible to 'ind the eight basic


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body types among women as well as men

Sheldon's Temperament Types

.he classi'ication o' body types was not Sheldon/s ultimate goal 7e wanted to help resolve the age-

old uestion o' whether our body type was connected with the way we acted In short, he wanted toe plore the lin* between body and temperament

.emperament e plores how people eat and sleep, laugh and snore, spea* and wal* .emperament is body type in action Sheldon/s procedure in loo*ing 'or the basic components o' temperament wasmuch li*e the one he used in discovering the body type components 7e interviewed in depth severalhundred people and tried to 'ind traits which would describe the basic elements o' their behavior 7e'ound there were three basic components which he called viscerotonia, somatotonia and cerebrotonia,and eventually named endotonia, mesotonia and ectotonia

Endotonia is seen in the love o' rela ation, com'ort, 'ood and people

Mesotonia is centered on assertiveness and a love o' action

Ectotonia 'ocuses on privacy, restraint and a highly developed sel'-awareness

Sheldon devised a way o' numerically rating the strength o' each area based on a chec*-list o' ?0characteristics (see the end o' this chapter 'or a simpl'ied version) that describe the basiccomponents .he &-1-1 was the e treme endotonic, the 1-&-1 the e treme mesotonic and the 1-1-& thee treme ectotonic 7e 'ound a strong correspondence between the endomorphic body type and theendotonic temperament, the mesomorphic body type and the mesotonic temperament, and theectomorphic body type and the ectotonic temperament ust as in our body type we have all three

elements, so, too, with our temperament 6 loo* at the three e tremes in temperament will give ussome idea o' what these components are li*e

The E treme Endotonic ! %riendliness


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.he endotonic shows a splendid ability to eat, digest and sociali2e 6 good deal o' his energy isoriented around 'ood, and he en;oys sitting around a'ter a good meal and letting the digestive process

proceed without disturbance ndotonics live 'ar 'rom the upsets and nervous stomachs o' theectotonics .hey 'all readily to sleep and their sleep is deep and easy% they lie limp and sprawled outand 're uently snore

ndotonics are rela ed and slow-moving .heir breathing comes 'rom the abdomen and is deep andregular .heir speech is unhurried and their limbs o'ten limp .hey li*e sitting in a well-upholsteredchair and rela ing 6ll their reactions are slow, and this is a re'lection on a temperament level o' a

basal metabolism, pulse, breathing rate and temperature which are all o'ten slower and lower thanaverage .he circulation in their hands and 'eet tends to be poor Sheldon calls these people

biologically introverted organisms It is as i' all the energy is 'ocused on the abdominal area, leavingless 'ree to be e pressed in the limbs and 'ace, and giving the impression o' a lac* o' intensity

Sheldon 'elt that biological introversion gave rise to psychological e traversion Since the bodies o'the endotonics are so 'ocused on the central digestive system, they need and crave social stimulationin order to 'eel complete on the social level =roups o' people, rather than 'atiguing them, stimulatethem to the proper level o' social interaction .he assimilative powers that on the physical level wereoriented to 'ood, now on the social level draw them to people

.he endotonics love to sociali2e their eating, and the sharing o' meals becomes an event o' thehighest importance .hey treat guests well .hey love company and 'eel more complete with other

people around .hey li*e people simply because they are people .hey have a strong desire to be li*edand approved o', and this o'ten leads them to be very conventional in their choices in order not to runthe ris* o' social disapproval .he endotonics are open and even with their emotions which seem to'low out o' them without any inhibitions hether they are happy or sad, they want the people aroundthem to *now about it, and i' others e press emotion they react directly and convincingly insympathy hen an endotonic has been drin*ing he becomes even more ;ovial and radiates ane pansive love o' people ndotonics are 'amily-oriented and love babies and young children andhave highly developed maternal instincts

In summary, they love assimilation both on the physical and social level .hey love to eat and digest,to be part o' their 'amily and community, to li*e and be li*ed and to rest and rela .hey crave 'ood


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sometimes boom out as i' speech were another 'orm o' e ercise hen alcohol reduces theirinhibitions, they become more assertive and aggressive hen trouble stri*es they revert to their most'undamental 'orm o' behavior and see* action o' some sort "esotonics tend to glori'y that period o'youth'ul activities where physical powers reach their pea*, or perhaps more accurately the period o'youth that best symboli2es a sense o' endless vitality and activity .his glori'ication o' youth goes

hand-in-hand with the early maturing o' the mesotonic organism, both 'acially and muscularly .heyloo* older than their chronological age .he e traversion o' action that is so strong here goes togetherwith a lac* o' awareness o' what is happening on the sub;ective level .he uic*ness with which themesotonic can ma*e decisions is compensated 'or by a relative unawareness o' the other parts o' his

personality 7e tends to be cut o'' 'rom his dream li'e 7e li*es wide-open spaces and 'reedom 'romthe restraint o' clothes

6s we saw in the case o' the mesomorphic physi ue, Sheldon/s portrait o' the mesotonic is more malethan 'emale .he 'emale mesotonic shows the same e traversion o' action, but how this actione presses itsel' has a di''erent uality .here is not the same overt physical combativeness andcompetitive aggressiveness .he action is more muted and 'lows in more socially acceptable

channels .he mesotonic woman should be compared not with mesotonic men but with other women,and it is in relationship to other women that she shows the distinctive mesotonic traits in a 'eminineway

Sheldon 'elt that estimating the degree o' mesotonia was the most di''icult part o' evaluating a person/s temperament 6t times people with well-developed mesotonia can give the sur'aceappearance o' e ceptional calmness and amiability .his is particularly true o' the e trememesomorphs o' above average height who 'orm a *ind o' mesomorphic royalty .hey e pect and getspecial treatment Sheldon li*ened them to big cats who go around with their claws retracted, andonly when provo*ed or in the midst o' a crisis does their mesotonia show itsel' clearly

The E treme Ectotonic ! "eflection


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.he outstanding characteristic o' the ectotonic is his 'inely-tuned receptive system 7is spread-out body acts li*e a giant antenna pic*ing up all sorts o' inputs Sheldon calls the ectotonic a biologicallye traverted organism, which is compensated 'or by psychological introversion Since the wholeorganism is sensitive to stimulation, the ectotonic develops a series o' characteristic strategies bywhich he tries to cut down on it 7e is li*e a sonar operator who must constantly be wary o' a suddenloud noise brea*ing in on the delicate sounds he is trying to trace 7e li*es to cross his legs and curlup as i' he is trying to minimi2e his e posure to the e terior world 7e tries to avoid ma*ing noise and

being sub;ected to it 7e shrin*s 'rom crowds and large groups o' people and li*es small, protected places

.he ectotonic su''ers 'rom a uic* onset o' hunger and a uic* satiation o' it 7e is drawn to a high protein, high calorie diet, with 're uent snac*ing to match his small digestive system 7e has anervous stomach and bowels 7e is a uiet sleeper, but a light one, and he is o'ten plagued by

insomnia 7e tends to sleep on one side with his legs drawn up, and his sleep, though slow in coming,can be hard to sha*e o'' 7is energy level is low, while his reactions are 'ast he su''ers 'rom a uasi-chronic 'atigue and must protect himsel' 'rom the temptation to e ercise heavily 7is blood pressureis usually low and his respiration shallow and rapid with a 'ast and wea* pulse 7is temperature iselevated slightly above normal and it rises rapidly at the onset o' illness .he ectotonic is resistant tomany ma;or diseases, but su''ers e cessively 'rom insect bites and s*in rashes 8n'ortunately he cansuccumb to acute streptococcal in'ections o' the throat which cause swelling and strangulation 7ishypersensitivity leads not only to uic* physical reactions but to e cessively 'ast social reactions aswell It is di''icult 'or this type to *eep pace with slow-moving social chit-chat 7e races ahead andtrips over his own social 'eet

ust as the endotonic loves to eat and the mesotonic loves action, the ectotonic loves privacy, andintellectual or mental stimulation 7e needs shelter 'rom e cessive stimulation and time to sort out theinputs he has received, and connect them up with his own inner sub;ective e perience, which hevalues highly Sel'-awareness is a principle trait o' ectotonia .he 'eelings o' the ectotonic are not ondisplay, even though they can be very strong, and so he is sometimes accused o' not having any

hen they are in a situation o' dealing with someone who has authority over them or with someoneo' the opposite se whom they are interested in, they o'ten ma*e a poor 'irst impression .hey areuncom'ortable in coping with social situations where overt e pressions o' sympathy are called 'or orwhere general idle conversation is the norm, 'or e ample in parties and dinners where they have no


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intimate ac uaintances

.he ectotonics are hypersensitive to pain because they anticipate it and have a lower pain threshold aswell .hey do not pro;ect their voices li*e the mesotonics, but 'ocus it to reach only the person theyare addressing .hey appear younger than their age and o'ten wear an alert, intent e pression .hey

have a late adolescence, consider the latter part o' li'e the best, and are 'uture-oriented .he moree treme ectotonics have a distaste 'or alcohol and their accentuated consciousness 'ights alcohol,drugs, anaesthesia and is resistant to hypnosis .hey can readily with their dream li'e and o'ten rich'antasy li'e hen they become troubled they see* privacy and solitude in order to try to wor* out thedi''iculty

"a*e an initial estimate o' how much o' the three components o' temperament you have by ratingyoursel' on a simpli'ied Scale o' .emperament

Endotonia Mesotonia Ectotonia

hen troubled I see*out

CCCpeople

CCCaction

CCCsolitude

I pre'er CCCphysical com'ort CCCphysical adventure

CCCprivacy

.he time o' my li'e I'avor is

CCCchildhood CCCearly adulthood

CCClater years

hat would bother memost would be

CCCbeing cut o'' 'romother people

CCCbeing closed o'' insmall places

CCCbeing e posed toendless noise

hen in a group I li*e to CCCmingle CCCta*e charge

CCCta*e o''

I pre'er to

CCClet things ta*e theircourse CCCdo things

CCCobserve what isgoing on

.he thing I li*e most is CCCeating CCCe ercise CCCtime to mysel'

.he ualities that 'it me best are

CCCtolerance and love o' people

CCClove o' power andleadership

CCCa highly developedsel'-awareness

3ody and temperament types had grown 'rom a 'ootnote to our interest in psychological types into a'ull-'ledged way o' seeing that complemented what ung had done .he ne t step was both inevitableand e citing e *new that im and I were both introverted intuition types and ectomorphs as thisan accident> 6 'riend who was an e traverted thin*ing type we now saw was a mesomorph e hadnever averted to either his physi ue, or single-mindedness, or booming voice or all the othermesotonic traits he possessed 6nother 'riend was predominantly endomorphic, and we already *newthat she was an e traverted sensation type ere body and temperament types randomly distributed


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among the di''erent psychological types, or were they organically connected> Intrigued, we began tosystematically e amine the body types o' all the people whose psychological types we already *new.his helped con'irm our initial insights .here seemed to be a de'inite connection between theendomorph and the e traverted sensation type, the mesomorph and the e traverted thin*ing type, andthe ectomorph and the introverted intuition type

.he best way 'or you to determine whether such connections actually e ist is to go trac*ing yoursel'and loo* at the body, temperament and psychological type o' someone you *now well and see whatBou 'ind .here is really no substitute 'or this *ind o' personal veri'ication !nce we had some ideao' what we were loo*ing 'or, then, and only then, did it become possible to reread Sheldon anddiscover nuances we had missed be'ore 7ere/s a summary o' Sheldon/s remar*s on the endotonic,mesotonic and ectotonic that point to their respective psychological types

The Psycholo$ical Type of the Endotonic

.he numbers in parentheses re'er to traits in Sheldon/s Scale o' .emperament and the page number tohis Varieties of Temperament

.he endotonic is an e travert 7e loves to have people around, a trait Sheldon called sociophilia (5)7e is dependent on them 'or a''ection and approval (10) .he endotonic does not hold bac* hisemotions% whatever is there 'lows readily and smoothly out (1&) and can be easily understood 7ewants to be around people when he is troubled (19) 7e is well-oriented to the social world aroundhim and *nows what the general opinion o' the community is about many individuals in it (11)

.he endotonic has sensation as his 'irst 'unction 7e is oriented to the world around him through hissense impressions + ndotonics can always be trusted to maintain a close grip on immediate practicalreality + (p @49-D0) + ndotonia means realism ndotonic ecstasy lies in the achievement o' a /real/surrounding made up o' nice things that taste good, smell good, loo* good, sound good, 'eel good +

(p @DA) 7e loves to eat (4) and to be physically com'ortable (@), and he li*es people simply becausethey are with him without ma*ing ;udgments about them (9) .hey are 'acts which he accepts (1A)

.he endotonic has intuition as his 'ourth 'unction 7e tends to lac* 'oresight and a sense o' progress7e is not a re'ormer (1?) 7e views the ectotonic as a +dar* and suspicious person, a miser at best anda sinister in'luence at worse+ (p A&) which is a good description o' the negative intuition o' thee traverted sensation type

The Psycholo$ical Type of the Male Mesotonic

.he mesotonic is an e travert, with relatively little grasp o' his inner sel' (1&) 7is is an e traversiono' action 7e loves physical adventure (@) and is 'ull o' energy to be doing things (A) 7e is physicallycourageous 'or combat (5) and has an unrestrained voice (1A) 7e disli*es being enclosed in small

places (11)

.he 'irst 'unction o' the mesotonic is thin*ing .he mesotonic *nows what he wants and he has a+singularly impersonal ob;ectivity in see*ing what is wanted+ (p DD) 7e is e''ective in carrying outdecisions without inhibitions 7e is stable, predictable and hardheaded (p D5) 7e gets things donewithout always stopping and considering the physical and social costs (p D9) +.he even regulation o'habitual overt behavior in mesotonics is stri*ing, but it is perhaps relatively unimportant in


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comparison with the same habitual ordering o' mental activities+ (p @?D) .his habitual ordering o'the mental activities is a result o' the predominance o' the thin*ing 'unction

.he least developed 'unction o' the mesotonic is 'eeling .he negative side o' the e''iciency in gettingthings done is callousness towards people and things that get in their way (11) 6s Sheldon puts it,

they have a +singular insensitivity, especially to the less obvious or subtler needs or desires o' other personalities in the environment+ (p D&) !n occasion the unconscious 'eeling suddenly reveals itsel'in the 'orm o' sudden conversion with religious overtones (p ?D) which represents the introverted'eeling side o' the personality

The Psycholo$ical Type of the Ectotonic

.he ectotonic is an introvert +.he thing to be saved and protected at all costs is the continuity and theintegrity o' the inner awareness Such a person disassociates the outer ob;ective reality but remains inthe closest touch with his own inward sub;ective reality +(p 55) .he ectotonic loves privacy (4), tendsto avoid much sociali2ing (5) and is restrained both in voice (9) and in the e pression o' emotions (?)

.he most developed 'unction o' the ectotonic is intuition 7e has a great deal o' curiosity and moves'rom one new interest to another +7e seems to be able to change his mind abruptly and suddenlyadapt all his 'eelings and attitudes to the new orientation + (p 5@) 7e is oriented to the 'uture (@0) andwants to understand the riddles o' li'e (p 9A) +!ne o' the most stri*ing characteristics o' personsshowing the $-1& trait (introversion) predominantly is their acuity and preciseness o' intuitionIntuition is o' the 'irst order in these people, 'or it is based on a thorough 'amiliarity with the remoteconsciousness 'rom which it springs + (p 59)

.he least developed 'unction is sensation 7e cannot seem to accept physical realities matter-o'-'actly 7e has di''iculty in 'orming routines and habits (10) and di''iculty in learning things by rote

7e either ignores things or reads too much into them + ctotonics desire but little, but they seem to become inordinately attached to what they have both in the sense o' material goods and in the senseo' personal loyalties + (p A&) #hysical ob;ects become alive to them +7e becomes a''ectionatelyattached to things, reads human ualities and 'eelings into them and o'ten 'ocuses deep a''ection uponthings that are not human + (# @DD) 7e can have an especially di''icult time dealing with se uality+.he ectotonic is always in danger o' 'lying too 'ar 'rom the earth and su''ering an Icarian 'all+ (p@D0)

Sheldon/s body type diagram now loo*s li*e this:


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e tra ertedthin(in$

e tra erted sensation intro ertedintuition

3ut what were the physi ues o' the other psychological types> inding out was a harder tas* Eeadingung or Sheldon couldn/t provide an answer It had to come 'rom someone who actually le't certain

bodyFtemperament and psychological trac*s e were already 'amiliar with the ectomorph who wasan introverted intuition type 3ut what about a man we *new who we were sure was an introvertedthin*ing intuition type> 7e was more mesomorphic and less ectomorphic than the ectomorphs whowere introverted intuition types 7e was built trimly li*e a marathon runner 7e was what Sheldonwould call a @-4-4, which meant that he was e ually mesomorphic and ectomorphic with littleendomorphy !nce we had him as a good 'irst e ample we too* a care'ul loo* at some otherintroverted thin*ing intuition types, and 'ound that they had similar builds

.hen there was a 'riend who was our 'avorite e ample o' a 2any and e citing e traverted intuitiontype 7e was more muscular than the introverted thin*ing type, but he still had a good deal o'ectomorphy I thin* Sheldon would have rated him around a @-D-4

.he endomorphic mesomorphs who are one o' the most popular 6merican somatotypes turned out to be either e traverted sensation types i' they were a bit more endomorphic, or e traverted thin*ingsensation types i' they were somewhat more mesomorphic .he body type diagram now loo*ed li*ethis:


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e tra ertedthin(in$ ore tra erted

sensation

intro erted sensation

e tra ertedintuition

intro ertedthin(in$intuition

.his le't the introverted sensation type, the introverted thin*ing sensation type and the uestion o'women ventually we placed the introverted sensation type between the endomorph and theectomorph, and the introverted thin*ing sensation type became a good e ample o' how type theoryhas to 'low 'rom type practice It would have been convenient to put the introverted thin*ingsensation type with the introverted thin*ing intuition type, but we 'ound an introverted thin*ingsensation type whose body did not seem to 'it this pattern It was more chun*y and less ectomorphic.hen we 'ound several other introverted thin*ing sensation types who had similar physi ues .heystill remain a pu22le 7ere, however, is how our body type diagram 'inally loo*s:

e tra ertedthin(in$ ore tra erted

sensation) orintro erted

thin(in$sensation

e tra ertedsensation

intro erted sensation

e tra ertedthin(in$

e tra ertedintuition

intro ertedthin(in$intuition

intro ertedintuition


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omen 'ollow the same pattern as men but they are more di''icult to somatotype, 'or they are moreendomorphic and more closely grouped together .his means there are less women who are e trememesomorphs and more women who are well-endowed with endomorphy omen, 'or e ample, whoare introverted intuition types will have in general more endomorphy than their male introvertedintuition counterparts omen are more naturally midrange and more grouped in the center o' the

body type diagram So a relatively small di''erence in somatotype can be the sign o' a largedi''erence in psychological type Instead o' the mesomorph being an e traverted thin*ing type she isusually an e traverted 'eeling type, and the introverted thin*ing intuition types and introvertedthin*ing sensation types become introverted 'eeling intuition types and introverted 'eeling sensationtypes In short, to convert the above diagram 'rom men to women replace thin*ing with 'eeling

6ll this sounds a bit complicated, but i' we study these diagrams there is a certain interior logic inthem et/s imagine that each o' the three corners is li*e a magnet, and each o' these magnetic poleshas its strongest in'luence on the area that is closest to it, while its power o' attraction wea*ens withdistance .he ectomorphic pole is associated with introversion and intuition, the mesomorphic polewith e traversion, thin*ing and 'eeling, and the endomorphic pole with e traversion and sensation I'

we stand on the ectomorphic pole and loo* towards the mesomorphic one, we see that intuition andintroversion grow less strong as we move towards the mesomorphic pole o' e traversion, thin*ingand 'eeling .he introverted intuition type becomes the introverted thin*ing or 'eeling intuition type,then the e traverted intuition type and 'inally the e traverted thin*ing or 'eeling type

.hese diagrams should not be ta*en as 'inished products 6 great deal more e perience is necessaryto determine e actly where the boundaries between the types are etailed body and temperamentdescriptions li*e those o' Sheldon 'or the three e treme somatotypes remain to be written 'or theother psychological types hat 'ollows are tentative notes on the body and temperament type o'each psychological type

The *ntro erted *ntuition Type) the E tra erted Thin(in$ Type and the E tra erted SensationType

e have already seen Sheldon/s description o' the body types and temperaments that correspond withthe e traverted sensation type, the e traverted thin*ing type and the introverted intuition type .hething to note is that while Sheldon was describing the e tremes o' each somatotype, the territory o'each psychological type covers a wide area made up o' many somatotypes and temperaments eshould not e pect the introverted intuition type to always resemble a bean pole or the e travertedsensation type to loo* li*e Santa $laus

.he introverted intuition type covers a wide range o' physi ues 'rom the wal*ing stic* to the slimmuscularity o' the mesomorphic ectomorph to the midrange balanced body types In the same waythe temperament varies and no doubt the psychological type itsel' within the territory o' theintroverted intuition type

.he e traverted sensation type ranges 'rom the roundness o' the polar e treme to the burliness o' theendomorphic mesomorph who might actually have more mesomorphy than endomorphy and he, too,shares in the midrange balanced somatotypes, who at 'irst glance seem almost the same as themidrange physi ues that belong to other psychological types


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.he e traverted thin*ing type ranges 'rom the e treme polar mesomorphs to the e traverted thin*ingsensation type who is heavy-set and chun*y under the in'luence o' the endomorphic pole and thee traverted thin*ing intuition type who is leaner but still heavily muscled, who is closer to theectomorphic pole

The *ntro erted Sensation Type

The Body Type

.he physi ue o' the introverted sensation type is that o' an endomorph-ectomorph, sometimes withlittle mesomorphy, but ranging up to the midrange body type e should not thin* o' the roundnesso' the endomorph as an opposite to ectomorphy .he introverted sensation type has a roundnesswhich is e tended and spread out in space by ectomorphy In this way he can be distinguished 'romthe predominant endomorphy o' the more e treme e traverted sensation type who is more spherical atthe endomorphic pole and more muscular 'urther north on the somatotype chart

The Temperament Type

.he introverted sensation type shows a special type o' ectotonic behavior due to his introvertedsensation 7e has a love o' privacy and is restrained in voice and in the e pression o' his emotions7e does not have the easy e traversion o' a''ect o' his neighbor the e traverted sensation type 7isemotions, while strong, are held in and shyly bestowed 7e does not e hibit the uic* 'riendliness,tolerance and indiscriminate amiability 'ound in the e traverted sensation type 7e can set a goodtable but does not ma*e the same social sacrament out o' eating

.he ectotonia o' the introverted sensation type ta*es on a di''erent character because sensationreplaces intuition .he introverted sensation type is more orderly and meticulous with details and

observant o' routines .heir houses are o'ten particularly neat and clean in mar*ed contrast with theintroverted intuition type who sins by omission and inadvertence, and the e traverted sensation typewho 'ails by lac* o' organi2ation .hey show none o' the uic* curiosity and reaction and movement'rom one topic to another characteristic o' the ectotonic introverted intuition type

7e shows little o' the love o' ris*, chance and competition that is 'ound in the mesotonic 7e is bynature conservative and conserving 7e tends to *eep what he has and *eep it well hen heaccumulates money it is more 'rom care'ul use than daring entrepreneurial acts

The E tra erted *ntuition Type

The Body Type.he physi ue o' the e traverted intuition type is that o' the ectomorphic mesomorph 7is ectomorphyma*es his muscles stand out in clean, sharp relie' so that the degree o' mesomorphy could tend to beoverestimated at 'irst glance .he e traverted intuition type o'ten gives the impression o' leanmuscularity and speed .he @-D-4 somatotype which Sheldon li*ens to an ocelot or cheetah 'alls inthis range #etersen in his 6tlas o' $hildren remar*s about one o' his @-D-4 boys, +7e loves 'reedomabove all and does not want to be tied down to anything whatsoever Seemingly his most pro'ound


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need is to be independent +


.he e traverted intuition type shares the e traversion o' action o' the more mesotonic e traverted

thin*ing type .here is a love o' physical adventure and an en;oyment in being out and doing things7e is outgoing and physically courageous but without the same aggressiveness and love o'domination that mar*s the more e treme mesotonic


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The Body Type

It appears that these types cover two distinct territories% one ne t to the introverted intuition type,which has the introverted thin*ing intuition type and the introverted 'eeling intuition type, andanother on the other side which contains the introverted thin*ing sensation type and the introverted

'eeling sensation type Since this is the only instance where a type territory is split up there is achance that we are mista*ing a portly 4-4-4 introverted thin*ing sensation type 'or a moreendomorphic andFor mesomorphic physi ue which would place the introverted thin*ing sensationtype and the introverted 'eeling sensation type on the other side It is stri*ing, however, that all thetypes with sensation in the 'irst or second place 'all on the le't side o' the diagram and the introvertedthin*ing sensation type and the introverted 'eeling sensation type 'it into this pattern, so we willdescribe these types as living in two separate territories

.he physi ues o' the introverted thin*ing intuition type and the introverted 'eeling intuition typeo'ten, at 'irst glance, loo* li*e the mesomorphic introverted intuition types Some o' these two typesare long and thin, but with a closer e amination they show a greater degree o' wiry mesomorphy than

the introverted intuition types .he introverted thin*ing sensation type and the introverted 'eelingsensation type appear to cover part o' the same territory as the more mesomorphic e travertedsensation type


.he introverted thin*ing intuition type and the introverted 'eeling intuition type share many o' thetraits o' the ectotonic introverted intuition type with whom they share their introversion and to alesser degree their intuition, such as love o' privacy, emotional restraint, as well as a reluctance tosociali2e In a lesser degree they share the uic* reactions o' the more e treme ectotonics and whatSheldon calls mental over-intensity or hyperattentionality .he introverted thin*ing intuition type,

because o' the placement o' the thin*ing 'unction, has what could be called an introverted or mentalmesotonia in contrast to the more physically active mesotonia o' the e traverted thin*ing type 7edoes not boom out vocally or try to dominate a social situation, but he has an inner hardheadednessand mental drive, and it can produce through the in'erior 'eeling 'unction a disregard and callousnessor obliviousness to the 'eelings o' others that mirrors in its own way the in'erior 'eeling o' themesotonic

.he introverted 'eeling intuition type di''ers 'rom the introverted thin*ing intuition type much li*e thee traverted thin*ing type di''ers 'rom the e traverted 'eeling type .he traits due to introversionremain in place, li*e love o' privacy, etc , but the character o' the mesotonia changes to a more'eminine one without the same ruthlessness that comes 'rom 'eeling in the 'ourth place .heintroverted 'eeling intuition type can sometimes appear somewhat li'eless because the 'eelings are notimmediately visible

.he introverted thin*ing sensation type and the introverted 'eeling sensation type can be mista*en at'irst glance 'or more or less amiable e traverted sensation types espite appearances they possesslittle o' the sociophilia and smooth e traversion o' 'eeling that is the hallmar* o' the endotonic .heyshare with the rest o' the ectotonics a certain distinctive sel'-conscious movement o' the eyes It isalmost as i' they are introverts in e traverted bodies


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.he introverted thin*ing sensation type can be a businessman with a di''erence 7e has the mentale uipment to pay attention to practical detail combined with the introvert/s instinct 'or preservation6dd to this a love o' competition and dominating and a dash o' ruthlessness that comes 'rom themesotonia and it can be a 'ormidable combination 'or material success

.he introverted 'eeling sensation type will again di''er in characteristic 'ashion with the ectotoniclove o' privacy, sociophobia, vocal restraint and secretness o' 'eeling but without the sense o'competition and domination 'ound in the introverted thin*ing sensation type

Complete Type Trac(in$

It has been essential to cover the basics o' type at all three levels 6nd perhaps you have some idea o'what your own complete type is 3ut be patient with yoursel' It will ta*e real wor* to convert all the

principles, e amples and descriptions o' the preceding chapters into your own ability to see types It/snot possible to grasp everything at once hen I meet someone 'or the 'irst time I wish I could saythat I can readily 'igure out their type on all three levels, but it doesn/t wor* that way Sometimes I

might be sure that the person is a mesomorph, or their 'ourth 'unction is 'eeling, or that they are anintrovert 6nd I have to be satis'ied with these relatively modest starting points and let myunderstanding grow naturally by my contact with them So don/t be discouraged i' you are sure o'only a small portion o' your own type Bour ability will grow with practice

dr william sheldon

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