THEORIES RELATED TO PHYSICAL

APPEARANCEAL RAJIV A. CARIM

Theories Theory based on body built and strength Somatotype theory Born criminal theory (anthropometry)

THEORY BASED ON BODY BUILT AND

STRENGTH

Ernst Kretschmer

Ernst Kretschmer, (born Oct. 8, 1888, Wüstenrot, Ger.—died Feb. 8, 1964, Tübingen, W.Ger.), German psychiatrist who attempted to correlate body build and physical constitution with personality characteristics and mental illness.

THEORY BASED ON BODY BUILT AND STRENGTH

This theory postulates three normal temperamental types:

These are:

SCHIZOID TYPE or ASTHENIC TYPE CYCLOID TYPE or PYKNIC ATHLETIC TYPE

SCHIZOID TYPE OR ASTHENIC TYPE Characteristics: narrow and

elongated extremities They look very sickly

and weak They are depressive

and want to be alone. They are unsociable,

quiet, serious, withdrawn and reserved.

CYCLOID TYPE OR PYKNIC Characteristics: with broad trunk, short arms and legs, round solid body and

inclined to be heavy They can be

described as sociable, good natured, humorous and impulsive.

ATHLETIC TYPE ATHLETIC TYPE

is between the schizoid and cycloid type.

Characteristics: strong and robust

with good body built. They are considered

to be healthy, active and aggressive.

These three categories of body type is associated with three categories of

behaviors. Cyclothemic - were manic-depressive and typified

by soft skin, a round shape, and little muscle development, and tended to commit the less serious offenses that were more intellectual in nature.

Schizothemic - were antisocial and apathetic, committing the more serious violent offenses, and were either asthenic (thin and tall) or athletic (wide and strong).

Dysplastic - could be any body type but were characterized by highly charged emotional states and unable to control their emotions. Kretschmer associated dysplastic with sexual offenses.

Although Kretschmer attempted to develop a typology that associated behaviors with physique, he did not put much consideration into the complex nature of behavior and its interaction with the environment.

SOMATOTYPE THEORY

William Herbert Sheldon

William Herbert Sheldon, Jr. was an American psychologist and numismatist. He created the field of somatotype and constitutional psychology that tried to correlate body types with behavior, intelligence and social hierarchy illustrated by his Ivy League nude posture photos. However, his work is generally dismissed by modern researchers.

Ivy League nude posture photo

SOMATOTYPING He created three classifications:

Ectomorphs Endomorphs Mesomorphs

Ectomorphs Sheldon's ectomorphs tend to be very

thin and fragile, often appearing delicate. This individual would have a small face, a petite nose, and finely textured hair.

The temperament

Sheldon associated with this body type is considered cerebrotonic:

someone who is introverted, suffers from allergies or skin maladies, often tired or fatigued, highly sensitive to distractions and noise,

and tends to shrink away from large crowds.

Actor/director Johnny Depp is an example of someone who meets the physical description as well as the associated personality traits of an ectomorph. His physical appearance is thin and slight, and he is quiet and reserved when off-camera.

Endomorphs Endomorphs are quite the opposite of

their frail associates--they tend to be pudgy and round with a tendency to gain weight easily. Their skin would be very smooth and their arms and legs somewhat short for their build.

The temperament

Sheldon associated with endomorphic individuals is referred to as viscerotonic:

those who are easygoing and comfortable with themselves,

who enjoy luxurious things, and who are extroverted and outgoing.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is a famous example of someone who fits the endomorph body type and associated personality traits. She is well-known for her outgoing personality and expensive taste.

Mesomorphs Sheldon's third and final body type,

the mesomorph, is muscular and dense with a long torso. Mesomorphs also tend to have large wrists and hands.

The temperament

associated with mesomorphs is called somotonic:

these individuals are active, dynamic, and assertive with a tendency toward

aggression.

Professional wrestler John Cena is an individual who exhibits the body type and associated personality traits of a mesomorph. Both in the wrestling ring and in real life, Cena has a big, bold personality and he is very assertive and forceful.

Sheldon, using a correlation study, found that many convicts were mesomorphic , and they were least likely to be ectomorphic (Shelson et al 1949)

LOMBROSO'S THEORY OF CRIME “BORN CRIMINAL”

Cesare Lombroso

an Italian psychiatrist and military medical doctor who developed theories about the “born criminals” His theories are no longer valid today.

Lombroso developed the theory about "born criminal".

In 3000 anthropometric measurements he found some biological traits of criminals.

Biological traits of born criminal are:  unusual size or shape of the head, strange eyes, facial asymmetry, extended jaw and jaw bone, too big or too small ears, full lips leaned forward,

abnormal teeth, wrinkled skin, nose curled up; thieves have a flat nose

and murderers have a beak nose, too long, too small or flat chin, dark skin and too long arms.

According to Lombroso,  persons who have five or more biological traits are born criminals. Beside physical traits Lombroso

introduces some other traits of born criminal:

  hypersensitivity to pain and touch, use of special criminal slang, grotesque expression of thoughts, tattoos and unemployment.

Charles Buckman Goring He was a pioneer in criminology and author of the

influential work The English convict: a statistical study.

Under the sponsorship of the British government, Goring, assisted by other prison medical officers, as well as Karl Pearson and his staff at the Biometrics Laboratory, collected and analysed data bearing upon 96 traits of each of over 3,000 English convicts. He ultimately concluded that "the physical and mental constitution of both criminal and law-abiding persons, of the same age, stature, class, and intelligence, are identical. There is no such thing as an anthropological criminal type."

Earnest Albert Hooton Harvard anthropologist Ernest Hooten (1887–

1954). Dissatisfied with Goring’s findings, Hooten spent 12 years conducting research into the criminal nature of man to disprove Goring and to support Lombroso. His first influential publication, Crime and the Man (1939), documented his study of 14,000 prisoners and 3,000 nonprisoner controls in 10 states. Hooten was more rigorous than Goring in his methods, differentiating his subjects on the basis of types of crime and by geographic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds.

 

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