A teacher expects a thin, long and fragile-looking student to be brainy, artistic and introvert. Over the year, the student turns out to be a lively and outgoing team captain. Which of the following best explains why the teacher's prediction failed?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Body typologies are simple and have limited use in predicting the behaviour of individuals.
Option (1) Body typologies are simple and have limited use in predicting the behaviour of individuals. — Correct. The teacher used Sheldon's ectomorph type to guess the student's nature. Such <strong>body typologies are simple</strong> and work <strong>more like stereotypes</strong>, so they predict real behaviour poorly.
Option (2) Personality is dynamic, so its main features change easily with time. — Incorrect. Personality is dynamic only in that some features change with situational demands. Its <strong>main features do not easily change</strong>, so this reverses the feature.
Option (3) By temperament, ectomorphs are described as relaxed and sociable. — Incorrect. Relaxed and sociable describes the <strong>endomorphs</strong>, who are fat, soft and round. Sheldon described ectomorphs as brainy, artistic and introvert.
Option (4) Sheldon used intelligence and body build as the main basis of his typology. — Incorrect. Sheldon's basis was <strong>body build and temperament</strong>. The wrong basis also does not explain why a body-based guess failed.
NCERT (2026-27): “Type Approaches … “Let us remember that these body typologies are simple, and have limited use in predicting behaviour of individuals. They are more like stereotypes which people hold.” |