William Sheldon proposed that body types are linked to personality traits and predispositions toward criminal behavior.

William Sheldon proposed that body types are linked to personality traits and predispositions toward criminal behavior.

• A. Somatotyping
• B. Social Bond Theory
• C. Differential Opportunity
• D. The Laws of Imitation

Answer: (A)

This question centers on somatotyping—the idea that body type reflects personality and can influence criminal predisposition. William Sheldon argued that people fall into three body-type categories: mesomorphs (muscular, assertive), endomorphs (soft, sociable), and ectomorphs (lean, introverted). He linked the mesomorph build to traits like aggression and risk-taking, suggesting a higher likelihood of delinquent or criminal behavior as part of a biological basis for crime. The idea is that physical constitution shapes personality in ways that affect behavior, including criminal tendencies. The other options describe different criminological ideas that don’t connect body type to personality or criminal propensity: Social Bond Theory focuses on how attachments and commitments deter crime, Differential Opportunity looks at unequal access to legitimate and illegitimate opportunities, and The Laws of Imitation discusses crime learned through imitation. None of these tie biological body types to predispositions toward crime, which is the distinctive claim of somatotyping.

This question centers on somatotyping—the idea that body type reflects personality and can influence criminal predisposition. William Sheldon argued that people fall into three body-type categories: mesomorphs (muscular, assertive), endomorphs (soft, sociable), and ectomorphs (lean, introverted). He linked the mesomorph build to traits like aggression and risk-taking, suggesting a higher likelihood of delinquent or criminal behavior as part of a biological basis for crime. The idea is that physical constitution shapes personality in ways that affect behavior, including criminal tendencies.

The other options describe different criminological ideas that don’t connect body type to personality or criminal propensity: Social Bond Theory focuses on how attachments and commitments deter crime, Differential Opportunity looks at unequal access to legitimate and illegitimate opportunities, and The Laws of Imitation discusses crime learned through imitation. None of these tie biological body types to predispositions toward crime, which is the distinctive claim of somatotyping.