Each of us is born with individual patterns of temperaments. Most experts
believe that these styles of temperament are fairly stable at birth, or at
least within the first few months of life, and that they remain stable
throughout life. In other words, an infant who is quick to anger or slow to
warm socially, will most likely carry these traits into childhood and
adolescence.
Common temperament traits are shown in the following chart:
Temperament Styles
|
Activity level |
(HIGH) Walks rapidly. Eats eagerly. Climbs into
everything. (LOW) Finishes bottle slowly. Goes to sleep easily. |
|
Rhythmicity |
(REGULAR) Regular naps after lunch each day. Always
drinks a bottle of mild.
(IRREGULAR) Will not fall asleep for an hour
or more. Moves bowels at different times each day. |
|
Distractibility |
(DISTRACTIBLE) Cries when face is washed unless it is
made into a game. (NOT DISTRACTIBLE) Cries when toy is taken away and
rejects substitute. |
|
Approach |
(POSITIVE) Approaches strangers readily. Sleeps well in
new surroundings. (NEGATIVE) Stiffens when placed on object. Will not
sleep in strange places. |
|
Adaptability |
(ADAPTIVE) Is afraid of toy animals at first but then
plays with them happily.
(NOT ADAPTIVE) Continues to reject new foods
each time they are offered. |
|
Attention Span |
(LONG) Plays by self in playpen for more than one hour.
(SHORT) Loses interest in a toy after a few minutes. |
|
Intensity |
(INTENSE) Laughs hard when father plays roughly.
(MILD) Does not fuss when clothing pulled off head. |
|
Threshold |
(LOW) Spits out food s/he does not like. Giggles when
tickled. (HIGH) Eats food he likes even if mixed with disliked food.
Can be easily left with strangers. |
|
Quality of Mood |
(POSITIVE) Likes bottle, reaches for it and smiles.
Laughs loudly. (NEGATIVE) Cries when strangers come into room. Cries
when left alone. |
Adapted from Thomas, Chess, and Birch (1970). Definitions of Temperamental
Qualities at Three Age Levels.
About
the Author: Dr. Catherine Swanson Cain, PhD, LMFT provides counseling and
therapy to families of young children with behavior problems or mental
health disabilities. She also provides consultation and training to
educators, child care providers, and professionals on a variety of
behavioral health issues.
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