Dr. William Sheldon (1898-1977) was an American psychologist who devoted his professional life to observing the range of human body types and the associated human personality traits or temperament types.
My Brother-in-Law had arranged a Bajan at his house on 30th December.. Bajan is the melodious group singing of devotional Songs on various Gods from the Hindu Pantheon. As I sat in his hall listening to the superbly rendered devotional songs, I could not help but mull over Dr. Sheldon’s theory of body structure and temperament. Elsewhere in this Blog I have talked about the three types of Yoga viz., Gnana, Bhakti and Karma, that can be practiced to attain the Supreme Lord. The Sanathan Dharma or The Ancient Wisdom (To give it a holistic title) recommends these three practices for attaining liberation.
Through a meticulous examination of the carefully posed (front view, side view, and back view) photographs of some four thousand, decently but scantily clothed, college-age, men Sheldon became persuaded that there were three fundamental elements that, in various proportions, contributed to each person's actual physique or somatype.
He conjectured that there might well be some relationship between these elements and the three layers of the human embryo - the endoderm, the mesoderm and the ectoderm - and consequently gave the three elements that he held as contributing to ALL human physiques the names Endomorphy, Mesomorphy and Ectomorphy.
He also conducted a large number of surveys directed towards the investigation of whether there was any identifiable link between physique and temperament type. Sheldon's surveys led him consider that there were three basic temperament types or human personality traits that he labelled Viscerotonia, Somatotonia, and Cerebrotonia.
He considered that there was a strong correlation between body type and temperament type. According to this view human personality traits are underwritten, as it were, by human physical types. Extreme Endomorphs tend towards Viscerotonia, extreme Mesomorphs towards Somatotonia, and extreme Ectomorphs towards Cerebrotonia.
He devised ways of standardising the measurement and numerical expression of the various degrees to which each of the three element was present in any individual person's physique.
He came to see:-
Endomorphy as being focussed on the digestive system, particularly the stomach. He saw extreme Endomorphic physiques as being rounded and tending towards fleshiness. He discovered that extreme Endomorphic body types are endowed with a far longer digestive tract than extreme Ectomorphic body types.
He saw extreme Viscerotonia as being associated with a love of relaxation and of comfort. Extreme Viscerotonics tend to be sociable "food and people" persons.
Can we call these people Thamasic? Continuosly deluded by the sense organs, they move around with little or no goals. They can be driven and controlled as long as their sensual needs are satisfied. They make great staff and supervisors.
Mesomorphy as being focussed on musculature and the circulatory system. He saw extreme Mesomorphic physiques as being large, bony, and tending towards a substantial and well-defined musculature.
He saw extreme Somatonia as being associated with physical assertiveness. Extreme Somatotonics tend to be very keen on physical activity. Extreme Somatotonics also tend to be keen on competition in which they tend to expect to do well.
These are the Rajasic personalities, who prefer action to words. The soldiers, The Go-getters, the action people. They like to be in control and are great leaders.
Ectomorphy as being focussed on the nervous system and the brain. He saw extreme Ectomorphic body types as being light-boned and tending towards a slightness of musculature.
He saw extreme Cerebrotonia as being associated with a pronounced need for privacy. Extreme Cerebrotonics tend to be highly self-aware and socially restrained.
These are the Satvics. The thinkers. The Rishis and Sages who kept contemplating continuosly. They also include the artists and the poets who are good at analysis and theory but are rarely effective in implementation and delivery. This group makes good R&D and Trainers.
The Gita calls these three temperaments the Gunas and Bhagvan Srikrishna actually cautions Arjuna not to fall prey to any of the Three Gunas, but rather to surmount them by becoming dispassionate and clearheaded. In this sense Bhagvan even denounces the efficacy of the Vedas in Ch II when he says, The subject of the Vedas are the Three Gunas, O Arjun. Become a person who is not of these three gunas.
Again, if we accept Karma theory, your body type is attained by you based on the type lives you’ve lead previous to this birth. So we have carefully selected this body, mind and intellect combination in our earlier births. Agreed. Now, if we are to understand Dr. Sheldon rightly, the temperament follows from the body type!
Is this inevitable? Can we never break the bondage of the three Gunas? The Sanathan Dharma offers a solution. You cannot change your body type or temperamrnt, but you can choose the type of practice that you wish to adopt to find liberation!
Yes, the Visceratonics should continuously force the Sense Organs towards the Lord through Bajan and Nama Sankeerthanam. The month of Marghazhi or Dhanur Masya gives the Visceratonic this opportunity!
The action oriented Somatotonics should serve their fellow men and through this selfless Karma Seva attain true bliss and oneness with God.
And finally, the Cerebratonics can contemplate on the infinite wisdom of the Lord’s creation and thereby overcome the torture of their own intellectual brains!
Ultimately all these practices lead into each other. Ganana, Bhakthi and Karma are one and the same!
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