The concept of somatotype or somatic type is well known within the world of physical exercise and nutrition , but also within psychology.

The concept was developed by psychologist William Herbert Sheldon in the 1940s. However, his predecessor was Ernst Kretschmer who attempted to relate the biotype and psychotype of individuals, i.e. he researched and claimed to find connections between body composition and temperament.

Like any morphopsychological theory, Kretschmer’s theory received a lot of criticism . Nevertheless, Sheldon’s somatotypes are still very popular today, especially in the fields of sport and nutrition.

Kretschmer’s biotypes (body types)

In the 1920s, Kretschmer, a German psychiatrist, decided to study and investigate the relationships that may exist between morphological structure and human temperament. As an example for his studies, he chose mentally ill people with different pathologies: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder…

With the results it obtained, it established three types of basic body constitutions, and one that represented mixed and disproportionate groups. They are as follows:

  • Leptosomatic or asthenic
  • Athletic or epileptoid
  • Picnic or cyclothymic
  • Displastics

1. Leptosomatic or asthenic

These people have a slim body with shoulders, are tall, with a narrow chest, elongated face and nose and a domed skull. They have an introverted personality, with difficulties in adapting. They are sentimental, speculative individuals with an interest in art.

According to the author, they have a schizotypal temperament, and their character oscillates between hypersensitivity and coldness. These people are more likely to suffer from a serious mental disorder called schizophrenia.

2. Athletic or epileptoid

Epileptoid individuals have a strong body in both musculature and bones . They are more energetic and aggressive. Because of their robustness, they are strong, determined, adventurous and stand out as being quite passionate and sentimental, but also raw. They are impulsive and prone to epilepsy.

3. Picnic or cyclothymic

These are people, who are short in size but very robust, have a rounded body , with voluminous and greasy viscera. They may be bald, with little muscle development. They are intelligent people, with a cheerful and joyful character. They present oscillations in their state of mind, as they can go from being very excited and happy to sad and listless. Picnic individuals are not very constant in their activities, and can be both optimistic and pessimistic. These people are more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder.

4. Displastic

These individuals have a disproportionate body and do not fall into any of the above categories . On a psychological level these subjects do not possess a defined character, but within this group it is possible to find people with a weak or schizoid character.

Criticisms of Kretschmer’s Theory

Although Kretschmer inspired other authors such as Sheldon, this typology has received strong criticism. Much of which points out that:

  • The rates are extremes and not averages.
  • Being extreme, they divide individuals dramatically and forget many individual differences
  • It does not take into account the physical changes that can occur because of the change in diet
  • His research is biased, as he used sick subjects and not normal individuals.

Sheldon’s Somatotypes

Unlike the previous author, Sheldon conducted his research with normal subjects. This author was a professor at Harvard University. He began his research in 1928 and published the results in 1940. He used more than 4,000 male students, and then conducted his research with women.

Sheldon’s idea was different from Kretschmer’s, since he first investigated the somatotypes and, separately, tried to find out the correlation of these with personality traits and temperament , which according to him are the following: viscerotonia, somatotonia and cerebrotony. His results indicate that in 80% of the cases there is a correlation between endomorphism and viscerotonia, between mesomorphism and somatotonia and between ectomorphism and cerebrotony.

We then delved into Sheldon’s somatotypes.

1. Ectomorphic

These are tall, thin and weak people . That is, they are individuals with few muscles and relatively lighter bones than other body types. Ectomorphs are easy to detect because they are thin, their extremities are long and they are usually tall. They rarely gain weight. In terms of personality, they are emotionally sensitive people, who can suffer emotional problems and mood swings easily.

2. Endomorphic

The body of the endomorph is rounded and the main characteristic is people who have a natural tendency to accumulate fat in the abdomen in the case of men and in the hips in the case of women . The endomorph is very sociable by nature, fun, relaxed and good-natured. They love food and usually provide great company.

3. Mesomorph

The mesomorph is the most balanced of the three somatypes because its body is formed by a balanced combination of muscles and bones . These individuals are athletic in form, with well-defined muscles and proportionate bones. They are small in size but have a robust build. In terms of personality, the mesomorph is balanced, very energetic, likes sports and adventure and has no problem with physical activity. The mesomorph is highly tolerant and not as sensitive compared to the ectomorph.

Some clarifications about Sheldon’s somatotypes

Leaving aside the psychological aspect of the theory that has been widely criticized, the previous somatotypes represent extremes . However, in his studies, Sheldon achieves these somatotypes by studying five elements of the body (head, thorax, legs, etc.) separately and then adding them up to achieve these somatotypes.

But apart from these extreme body types, Sheldon’s theory does not rule out certain nuances in this categorization. In real life there are more than three somatotypes, and it is easy to find a perfect ectomorph, but also a mesomorph that has fat like endomorphs, so this individual would be a combination of two extreme somatotypes and would share characteristics of both body types.