Sarah Palin is a centered mesomorph with a moderate amount of endomorphy. This means that she is in mesomorphic territory on the somatotype map but is very close to being at the center with an equal amount of endomorphy.
Thanks to the footage of Palin in her bathing suit at the Miss Alaska Pageant I am 90% confident her Sheldonian somatotype is 4,4½,3
Sarah Palin is:
Endomorphy: 4.0 (Visceral)
Mesomorphy: 4½ (Muscular)
Ectomorphy: 3.0 (Nervous)
Balance: 6.0 (Orientational (Sensory)
Trunk Index: 1.50 (Area of Thoracic Trunk divided by Area of Abdominal Trunk)
Height: 63.9 inches
Weight Pattern(pounds @ age): 121 @ 20 -134 @ 30 – 144 @ 40 – 151 @ 50
Simple Temperament Description:
Orientational-Muscular-Viscera-Nervous.
Orientational (Plus)Muscular (Minus) Nervous = WORKING FOR CHANGE. AVOIDS BOUNDARY, CONVENTION, STATUS QUO AND LIMITATIONS.
Although there are no written tests that are 100% compatible with somatotype, the D-I-S-C inventories are generally in range of what a somatotype would predict. This is one of the best locations I’ve found for this information. Axiom Sofware’s Description of D-I-S-C Personalities When you link to the site check the following boxes for Palin’s type: High Influence with Dominance and Steadiness
1. I = Influence (Very High)
2. D = Dominance (Moderate)
3. S = Steady (Moderately)
4. C = Compliance (Moderately Low)
MBTI Type ENFJ (Linked to Wikepedia) (See SOMATOTYPE CHART of MBTI TYPES)
Additional Comments:
When Endomorphy, Mesomorphy and Ectomorphy are close to being balanced a new factor emerges. This condition rather than creating the stability that balance may suggest, actually makes the person more sensitive to environmental influences. It’s as if the sensory or orientational system becomes dominant. So Sarah Palin wants NOVELTY, variety, and a changing environment. Those constituted with this state of balance gravitate toward social activities because the unpredictability of human behavior provides a rich context of change, variety and novelty. Needless to say this is a very extraverted situation. Next in her rank of systems is Mesomorphy (Muscular). So you could say her basic description would be a person who WORKS for NOVELTY primarily in the context of social structures. More simply you could say she’s a born sales person. But there is the darker side that must also be considered. A person is not only defined by what they want but also by what they avoid. In her case her Nervous System is last (Ectomorphy =3) She avoids defining her self. She has no clear boundary. She avoids all the things that nervous systems do for an organism and that includes deliberative, analytical thinking. Like most of those involved in sales she needs awards, positions, trophies to define her as an individual. When you don’t have a strong internal sense of identity you need external validation. Remember, she was a runner-up for Miss Alaska. And what is the function of a beauty contest winner? Aren’t they really just cute salespersons?
It should be clear why McCain chose her to be his running mate. His ratings were going down. What is the likelihood that Americans would vote for an old cantankerous 5 foot 7 inch man. The conservative wing of the Republican party would rather throw away their votes than take the time to vote for McCain. They hated him almost as much as the Democrats. McCain needed a sales person to excite the people to get out and vote. And there was always an outside chance she could attract some independent women voters. It was a dying candidates only chance. Of course Sarah was interested in the opportunity. It was getting a little boring in Alaska. When you are a balanced somatotype you are always looking for novelty. She probably inherited this genetic disposition from whichever parent decided to move from Idaho to Alaska. I’m guessing it was her father.
Sarah Palin was great when she was whipping up enthusiasm in front of conservative audiences. Her handlers wanted her to stay in that role. The one thing a Sensory/Muscular person hates more than anything else is to have someone define “their” role. They see themselves as the role-definer. The conflict between the McCain organization and Sarah Palin was inevitable. Salespersons can memorize and deliver an enthusiastic presentation but marshaling facts to defend complicated policy requires an ectomorph’s mind (Obama?) that has absorbed both sides of an argument and has a detailed plan for defending themselves. What? Read your opponents policy papers? Are you kidding? Who has time for that? Certainly not a person who is an energetic muscular mesomorph seeking excitement and novelty. Because her nervous system is the lowest in her constitutional mix she tends to be a poor judge of people.
Sarah’s tendency to get bored probably explains why she needed to attend four different colleges just to get her Bachelor Degree. Sarah’s original career choice was the perfect fit. She studied communications and wanted to be a sports reporter which she did for a short time. With her substantial mesomorphy she would have gotten along well with the jocks, reciting her memorized reports, and winking as she signed off. Politics was her second choice. It offered greater excitement and novelty. Besides, there aren’t many major sports events in Alaska where she could get camera time.
Sarah Palins political career is defined by convenient rescues from jobs that seemed to be boring her. At the point where she could have really consolidated political power she readily sacrificed those gains for a new campaign. She seems to love campaigning more than governing. Governing gets complicated. There are documents to be signed, budgets to be balanced, and policies to be studied. Political campaigns are sales. Campaigns are like concert tours with affirming cheers and applause that say you are a worthwhile person.
Sarah is an ordinary midrange-mesomorph. It’s not her fault. She’s easily bored and frustrated. She craves novelty and it appears politics has kept things interesting for her. Like most salespersons she likes the quick and easy “sell”. Her main focus is her immediate social sphere. She is afraid of things getting too predictable thus forcing her to confront her emptiness. Currently she has embarked on an endless campaign
