Temperament

PRESENTED BY-
MS. PRATISHTHA PAL
LECTURER CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
NFSU, DELHI.
 What is Temperament?

 Temperament is a child's emotional and behavioral style of responding to the world. A

child displays her temperament style from birth.
 According to Thomas and Chess, it is a system for classifying a constellation of behavioral
characteristics that is present at birth and relatively stable over childhood and
adolescence.
 Temperament traits reflect early-appearing, biologically-rooted dispositions that
encompass negative and positive emotionality, effortful control (EC), and activity levels.
 Contemporary temperament research focuses on studying how intrinsic (biological and
cognitive) and extrinsic (environmental) processes interact to moderate the continuity of
temperament and influence the link between early temperament and subsequent socio-
emotional adjustment.
 Development of Thomas and Chess Model

 Alexander Thomas, Stella Chess, Herbert G. Birch, Margaret Hertzig and Sam Korn
began a 30-year longitudinal study in the early 1950s regarding infant temperament,
it was known as the New York Longitudinal Study of Child Temperament (NYLS) to
explore how their behavior (temperament), as they later called the construct,
influenced the adjustment of the 138 infants from age 1 to 12 years and tried to
identify different types of temperament in children. The study focused on how
temperamental qualities influence adjustment throughout life. (Thomas, Chess & Birch,
1968).
 Through this study, they sought to explain some of the differences in children’s
behavior, which were often attribute to poor parenting at the time.
 Chess and Thomas observed that children, beginning in infancy, exhibited what they
originally referred to as primary reaction patterns.
 Concept of ‘Goodness of Fit’

 The interaction between the child’s temperament and the environment was conceptualized
within a “goodness of fit” framework.
 According to Chess and Thomas (1999) “goodness of fit results when the properties of the
environment and its expectations and demands are in accord with the organism’s own
capacities, characteristics, and style of behaving.”
 If there is a match between an individual’s temperament and the environment, optimal
development can be achieved. Conversely, poorness of fit leads to maladaptative
functioning.
 Types of Temperament

 According to Thomas and Chess, there are three general types of temperaments
in children: easy, slow-to-warm, and difficult.
 Easy children are generally happy, active children from birth and adjust easily to
new situations and environments.
 Slow-to-warm children are generally mellow, less active babies from birth, and can
have some difficulty adjusting to new situations.
 Difficult children have irregular habits and biological routines (e.g., eating,
sleeping), have difficulty adjusting to new situations, and often express negative
moods very intensely. As the category name suggests, these children are the most
difficult for caregivers to satisfy and to maintain the energy and joy to care for on
a daily basis.
 Types of Temperament

 Not all children can be placed in one of these groups. Approximately 65% of
children fit one of the patterns. Of the 65%, 40% fit the easy pattern, 10% fell into
the difficult pattern, and 15% were slow to warm up. Each category has its own
strength and weakness and one is not superior to another.
 By looking at these dimensions, caregivers can not only determine what their
babies' temperaments are like, but they can also identify ways of interacting and
dealing with certain aspects of their temperament in order to foster a nurturing
environment for that child and even prevent many complications before they
arise.
 Dimensions of Temperament

 Chess & Thomas et al. rated young infants on nine temperament characteristics, each
of which, by itself, or with connection to another, affects how well a child fits in at
school, with their friends, and at home.
 Behaviors for each one of these traits are on a continuum.
 Each trait had a range of intensity, and the strength of the traits combined to create
the child’s unique temperament. If a child leans towards the high or low end of the
scale, it could be a cause for concern.
 Dimensions of Temperament
Trait Definition Range Characteristics
Activity Energy level and amount of energetic vs. sedentary Active children prefer to be in
movement. motion and can have difficulty sitting
for longer periods. Sedentary
children prefer stationary activities
and may be slow moving.

Adaptability Ability to adjust to changes. accommodating vs. Highly adaptable children will
resistant accept changes in routines,
activities, and the environment.
Children who are not adaptable will
resist changes and may become
upset when faced with changes.
 Dimensions of Temperament
Trait Definition Range Characteristics
Regularity Natural patterns and schedules predictable vs. variable Children with regular patterns will
for biological functions (ex. develop predictable schedules.
sleeping, elimination, eating). Children with irregular patterns do
not develop schedules and may
take longer to complete some
developmental tasks, such as
toilet learning.

Initial Reaction Reaction to new people and open vs. hesitant Children who respond openly will
situations. go to new people and explore
new toys and environments.
Children who are hesitant will shy
away from new people and be
uncomfortable in new
environments.
 Dimensions of Temperament

Trait Definition Range Characteristics

Intensity Emotional response to exuberant vs. Intense children are emotional in their
events. lethargic responses, positive and negative. Less
intense children may not show much emotion
or seem detached.
Mood Typical emotional outlook. positive vs. negative Children with a positive outlook are easier to
please and tend to be more even in their
interactions with others. Children with a
negative demeanor are harder to comfort or
please and may tend to be disagreeable in
interactions.
 Dimensions of Temperament

Trait Definition Range Characteristics

Distractibility Ability to focus. attentive vs. side- Children who can focus are better able to block out
tracked surrounding noise and activity. Children who can't
focus well can be easily bothered by other noise and
activity.
Persistence - Ability to stay immersed vs. Persistent children will stay with an activity and can
Attention with an activity. disinterested be attentive for extended periods. Children with
Span short attention spans will have trouble staying with
extended or multi-step activities.
 Dimensions of Temperament

Trait Definition Range Characteristics

Sensory Threshold Reaction to sensory stimuli. (ex. unaffected vs. irritated Children with a high sensory
texture, touch, brightness, threshold are more
volume, taste, aroma) comfortable with sensory
experiences and may not
notice sensory stimuli.
Children with a low sensory
threshold are more likely to
be bothered by sensory
stimuli and may be agitated
by sensory experiences.
 Temperament and Psychopathology

 Temperament is commonly studied in relation to the etiology of psychopathology or socio-

emotional maladjustment. A temperament trait may act as a risk or resilience factor that
predisposes individuals to psychopathology or protects them from disorder (Lengua & Wachs,
2012).
 Additionally, temperament is associated with adjustment outcomes through its influence on
individuals’ experiences with external environments and their exposure to risks or protective
factors (Lengua & Wachs, 2012).
 The relation of temperament to two broad domains of psychopathology in youths: internalizing
symptoms, including anxiety and mood disorders, and externalizing symptoms, including
aggression and oppositional defiant problems.
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