7.6 Varieties of temperament: genetic disposition of personality.
A comparison with the diversity of animal forms of life suggests that there are universal strategies for survival that have stood the test of time:
reliance on the selection and storage of food: viscerotonia
reliance on motility and action: somatotonia
reliance on acute perception and sharp cognition: cerebrotonia.
If we look for specialisation in the animal world we find e.g. the hippopotamus as paradigmatic for processing and storage of food and birds of prey as having specialised in visual perception and extreme mobility.
A dominant germ-layer not only finds expression in the physical form of the body but also in its physiological functioning and in the individual behavioural style as determined by his strengths and abilities. A persons individual disposition has been called his temperament. "By temperament we shall mean, roughly, the level of personality just above physiologic function and below acquired attitudes and beliefs. It is the level where basic patterns of motivation manifest themselves." (Sheldon, 1942). Behaviour, according to Sheldon, is an organic structure in action (cf. also in Chapter 3: Goodwin on embryogenesis). Structural components determine the temperament. The three basic components of motivation and behaviour that are shared by individuals in different proportions have been named: viscerotonia, somatotonia and cerebrotonia. Their relation to the corresponding somatotypes is shown in the table:
The viscerotonia component.
There is an special interest in and devotion to food, the preparation and consumption of it in company, coupled to love of ample conversation. Social contact, friendliness, companionship are important for the viscerotonic individual. He expresses his feelings freely and dislikes solitude. He avoids physical effort, is easy going and prefers luxurious environments. The central issues in his strategy to cope with life are, on the material level:
assimilating the good things from his immediate surroundings, selecting carefully, and saving enough for times of need;
on the immaterial level: making use of gregarious living to full advantage, building a network of social support by exchange of gifts and ideas.
The somatotonia component.
In contrast to the emotional extraversion of the viscerotonic, the somatotonic shows extraversion in his actions. He hates to sit still, likes movement and exercise. Nothing gives him more pleasure than removing barriers that may stand in his way and exploring the limits of his strength. He is competitive, has a loud voice and can behave recklessly. Little inclined to reflection, he may appear callous and tactless. His strategies for coping in life are:
well coordinated, skilful locomotion
energetic in the pursuit of his chosen goals
dominance
The cerebrotonia component.
The sensory-receptor properties are well developed. As a consequence however the central nervous system (CNS) is soon overloaded and rapidly tires. The cerebrotonic has the gift of concentrating his attention on the external world as well as on his internal world. His vigilance and autonomic reactivity make him behave in an inhibited and uncertain way: introverted behaviour. He has problems with expressing his feelings and with establishing social relationships, and can very well bear to be alone. The elementary strategies of coping with life are:
perception, reconnaissance and vigilance
cognition and anticipation
a certain amount of privacy.