Investigation of William H. Sheldon’s Constitutional Theory of Personality: A Case Study of the University of the Gambia
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey study (graded Level 4 by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W2063851814 · doi:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n7p85
What was done
A quantitative survey was conducted using a 36-item questionnaire administered to 242 students at the University of The Gambia. Participants were selected via stratified sampling based on Sheldon's three physical body types (endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph) to evaluate whether body morphology correlated with personality traits in an African cultural context.
What was found
The authors report that physical body type was associated with individual behavior and personality traits, stating that Sheldon's constitutional theory was confirmed in this sample. The abstract provides no numerical data, test statistics, correlation coefficients, or p-values.
Why it matters
The study attempts to test whether William Sheldon's historical somatotype-personality framework generalises to an African university student population.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical findings or effect sizes. The study is limited by a cross-sectional design, a single-center sample of university students (n = 242), self-report survey methodology, and reliance on constitutional psychology, a framework widely discredited in contemporary psychology.
Cited by
- supports The constitutional body type categories ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph originated in psychology rather than physiology.