Modified: 2020-04-21
Much later, at the end of the 19th century, Cesare Lombroso attempted to describe the criminal type. To do so, he visited Italian prisons, and then classified the inmates he found there by their physical characteristics. Eventually, he ended up with characteristics like a slanting forehead, flat nose, and large jaw. You might be rightly skeptical of his theory at this point. Do all criminals look alike?
Scientific type theories started in the early 20th century. In Germany, Kretschmer visited insane asylums and carefully measured inmates with differing diagnoses. He was able to create three basic types, plus one catch all category for those who would not fit the basic types. Kretschmer's approach was later subverted and used to justify Nazi logic about racial differences. So it lost its scientific value.
Sheldon, in the U.S.A., conducted a more detailed analysis of body type than did Kretschmer, rating people on how closely they approached three body types. Subjects' proximity to each type was rated on a 1-7 scale. Sheldon did find that body type and personality were related. But what did he really find? He did not find a direct relationship between body type and personality, but an indirect one. People with different body types do differ in personality, but they do so because of differential treatment. In other words, endomorphs are treated differently than ectomorphs, and that treatment contributes to the development of their personalities. Look at how advertisers pitch their wares, especially at women, and you will see that ectomorphy is promoted as desirable. Other societies have different values with regard to body type, and personality will vary accordingly. Today, type theories are viewed as too simplistic.
