A physical development theory for personality types

[Frederico Rogeiro]

I was looking at Project Gutenberg top 100 downloads and this book is ranked 1.

How to Analyze People on Sight by Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict - Project Gutenberg

In a quick view, this is a theory that says individuals exist in five groups, depending on the most developing part in our beginning, probably even before we were born.

So, according this, we are:

Cerebral, if we develop the nervous system, existing to think;
Muscular, existing to act;
Alimentar, existing to eat;
Toraxic, if we develop the circulatory system, existing to feel;
Boney, existing to stabilize.

And from this, the author explains her theory for 5 personality types.
Did you know about this? What do you think?

 

[Andy]

It sounds like a modern variant of craniology, palm reading and the like.

Yes, the shape of someones body will effect their personality, but it isn't linear. A natural weak person may well feel the need to compensate for it, becoming the first to take risks to show strength. The tall and heavy set my be self concious and shy about the way they stand out.

Basically, the world isn't a simple as these systems like to make out.

 

[Orangey]

Um...

As a result this type makes up most of the immigrants of the world. Italians, Poles, Greeks, Russians, Germans and Jews are largely of this type and these are the races furnishing the largest number of foreigners in America.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

LOL

I feel sorry for the people who get Alimentar!

But yeah, it just sounds like phrenology. Bogus!

 

[Frederico Rogeiro]

I didn't know about physical theories for personality, like craniology and others.
What I found interesting is the easy way to tell people's main unconscious priorities in life, witch would determine much of their personality, and make them also very easily recognizable.
I guess this lacks some kind of biological explanation in the first place, though.

 

[FDG]

I understand how they sound unscientific, but I'm personally fond of these kinds of old-fashioned typing systems, which I'm quite sure did play a part in Jung's writings. So, thank you for the link, Frederico. I suppose I would be a muscular-cerebral mix.

 

[Haphazard]

Um...

LOL old-fashioned racism!

 

[Haphazard]

I wish being fat meant that I was happy and carefree

 

[Trentham]

Cerebral, if we develop the nervous system, existing to think;
Muscular, existing to act;
Alimentar, existing to eat;
Toraxic, if we develop the circulatory system, existing to feel;
Boney, existing to stabilize.

This theory is correct.

GUESS WHICH ONE I AM!

 

[Frederico Rogeiro]

Haha, Trentham... I think you belong to the baloon type.

Haphazard, any theory can be serious or not, but the race card can´t be used to invalue their hypothesis. Theories are supposed to help us to know ourselves better. If somebody tries to use them to racist purposes that's a different issue.

 

[skylights]

the stuff is interesting and i appreciate you sharing it, but ugh.

just reading the biological reasoning for some of it is awful... like that the thoracic type will have bright cheeks and wide and long nose, because their cardiovascular system is so strong. except, nose size/shape is tied to genetic heritage, and isn't always a guarantee that a person will have an easier time breathing, and rosiness of cheeks is also dependent on skin, etc.

i never fit into these physio-psychological theories, anyway. my body is very muscular type but personality-wise i should be a thoracic/cerebral. i have the same problem with somatotype. i always get ESTP or something.

 

[Frederico Rogeiro]

I didn't read it all, Skylights. But I read enough to agree with you that this theory is full of fantasy in their examples.
One question should be answered at the beginning: Do our physical systems develop that differently?

None the less, I think there is a strong point in estabilishing some kind of consequence of physical type in personality.
I believe personality results from every circumstances of our lives. Some may result in patterns, because we all have them (a physical type, a family background, a social background, a place where we live, etc), and some others may not, they are too exclusive (like some things that happen only to us or just a few).

So, it's very interesting and attractive to patternize such a complex system in a simple and "usable" theory.
I'm not a specialist, nor I am near to be, but from what I've seen, MBTI is the most realistic and complete theory, but there are pottentially thousands of approaches we can do. And this physical one is very simple and "usable", but - like some old sayings - certainly more empirical (with a intuitive form) than scientific.

 

[Anarkandi]

Sounds legit.

 

[EJCC]

LOL old-fashioned racism!

^ This.

 

[Cellmold]

From the part about the Alimentive type

A general rotundity of outline characterizes this type. He is round in every direction. Fat rolls away from his elbows, wrists, knees and shoulders

So what? A blob?

Incidently the Alimentive type is probably an example of just how flawed this is. What if someone becomes fat? Do they then change from another type into this one?