ABSTRACT
The most common of all measurements made on the human body are height and weight. The median value and range for height and weight vary with gender as well as with ethnicity, nationality, social class, historical era, and other variables. Ernest Kretschmer classified human physiques into four categories: pyknic, or plump; athletic, or muscular; asthenic, or frail and linear; and dysplastic, individuals who did not fit into any one of the other three categories. Anthropometry, defined as the measurement of the size and proportions of the human body, has practical application in the science of ergonomics, also known as human engineering. Both Kretschmer and Sheldon were interested in describing various types of body build as well as relating body build to personality and psychopathology. Physical attractiveness plays an important role in determining the self-concept, how a person feels about him or herself. According to Cooley's looking-glass theory of the self, a person's self-concept is the result of reflected appraisals.
