Abstract
Introduction: Bura-hara, meaning blood-type harassment, is an overlooked problem leading to broken relationships, childhood bullying, and employment rejections. Dating agencies, diets, and even condoms cater to blood groups. Nazis used blood groups for racial supremacy. Japan’s militarist government adopted it to train better soldiers; the women’s softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics had used blood type theories to customize training for each player. Mitsubishi Electronics created a team composed entirely of AB workers due to “their ability to make plans”. In his resignation speech, a Japanese minister even blamed his political failings on his blood type. This phenomenon has often manifested into discrimination. Many employers continue to ask blood types at job interviews despite repeated warnings. Similarly, fingerprints are employed to define its correlation with schizophrenia and IQ levels. Despite scientific debunking, these beliefs have endured and are still implemented to screen for depression, diabetes, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, correlate BMI, and guide careers.
Aims and Objectives: To study the impact of blood group and fingerprint on determinacy of personality.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in the Department of Forensic Medicine/Toxicology, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, India. Data was collected from 170 medical students in 19- 21 years age-group (100 females, 70 males), by taking fingerprint impressions, reporting blood group through medical interview, and classifying personality using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire.
Results:
- Prevalent fingerprint was loop followed by whorl, arch and composite [52.9 > 40 > 5.88 > 1.17]%.
- Dominant blood group was B+ followed by O+, A+, AB+, O-, A-, B-, and AB- [33.5 > 28.23 > 22.35 > 7.64 > 4.70 > 1.17 = 1.17 = 1.17]%.
- Most common personality type was ESTJ (Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) - 15.29%, followed by ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) and ISFJ (Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging) sharing the same frequency of 9.41% each.
Based on the responses, we found that:
- 20.58% students with fingerprint whorl, had ESTJ personality.
- 13.33% students with fingerprint loop, had ISTJ personality.
- 40% students with fingerprint arch, had ISFJ personality.
- 100% students with fingerprint composite, had ESTJ personality.
Some highlights on the linkage of blood group with personality were:
- 12.28% students with B+, 16.66% students with O+, 18.42% students with A+, and 50% students with A- blood group respectively shared the ESTJ personality type.
- ISTJ and ISFJ personalities were common among 25% students each with O- blood group.
- Our study revealed no relationship between blood group and fingerprint with personality.
Conclusion: Our research, and those conducted by others, disclosed that there was no association of blood group and fingerprint with the personality of an individual. Therefore, their use as instruments for discrimination/exclusion must be discouraged.
Limitations:
- Limited sample size
- MBTI- Little evidence of dichotomy; Not comprehensive (missing neuroticism category)
- Possibility of Barnum/Forer effect in subjects, subject bias/response bias
