Sheldon has divided all human beings into different categories on the physical dimension. What is this method of personality study ?

H. Sheldon divided all human beings into endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic categories of physical dimensions. This method of personality is called the Type method.

Key Points According to Morgan and King, “ A type is simply a class of individuals said to share a common collection of characteristics.” It means that people are classified into categories according to the characteristics they share in common. For example, some people prominently show tendencies of being outgoing, happy-go-lucky nature, mixing with people, less task orientation, etc.

• William Sheldon tried to relate physique to temperament. On the basis of somatotype (body build), he assigned each individual to one of the three categories:-
  • Endomorphy – Such persons are short and fatty with a round shape of the body. Endomorphic people are similar to the “pyknic” type mentioned by Kretschmer. They like to eat and drink and make merry. They are gregarious by nature and have leisurely attitudes toward life. Temperament wise Sheldon termed them “viscerotonic.”
  • Mesomorphy – These people are muscular types. Their muscles and bones are quite well developed and they are physically well-shaped. These people generally are considered to be toughminded, risk-taking, assertive, and aggressive. They like to boss over others. Sheldon called these personalities “somatotonic”
  • Ectomorphy – Such people are tall but thin. Sheldon called them “cerebrotonia”. These people like to remain away from people.

Thus, it is concluded that Sheldon has divided all human beings into different categories on the physical dimension. This method of personality is called the Type method.