12 - 4. Temperament

4. Temperament

© SPMM Course 4. Temperament This is an aspect of personality studied in infants. It describes individual differences in behavioural style. Certain aspects of temperaments remain stable over many years. Infant’s negative emotionality (e.g. fear), and reactions to new situations (inhibition or neophobia) are the two most stable temperaments. New York Longitudinal Study is a key study on childhood temperament conducted by Thomas & Chess. It is a thirty years (initially 6 years) longitudinal study of 138 children, observing childhood temperaments. It employed parental interviews to ascertain temperamental dimensions – 9 such dimensions have been used:

1. Activity
2. rhythmicity
3. approach/withdrawal
4. adaptability
5. intensity
6. threshold
7. mood
8. distractibility
9. attention span / persistence Three behavioural styles were identified using the above 9 dimensions
10. Easy – rhythmic pattern of needs, adapts well, and active – 40%
11. Difficult – less predictable, uncomfortable with new experiences, negative mood, react intensely to stimuli, difficult to comfort – 10%
12. Slow to warm up children – adapts poorly to change, but less active and responds at low intensity – 15%
13. Ungrouped – 35% Difficult temperament may offer some survival benefits as mother pays more attention – especially in tribal populations. Inhibition (approach/withdrawal dimension), according to Keagan, is a strongly inborn trait. Behavioural inhibition may be a precursor for later neurotic disorders including anxiety and depression. In an extreme form of inhibition called neophobia, a child appears frozen and withdrawn in novel situations. Goodness of fit (Thomas & Chess) describes the reciprocal relationship between a baby’s temperament and its social environment whereby a good match between the both results in positive development later. Chess and Thomas used the term especially to refer to the harmonious interaction between a mother and a child.