Child Temperament Can Be Defined

Child Temperament

Temperament can be defined as behavioral inclination rather than behavior itself. Temperament, according to the temperament theorists is a natural and steady basis of later development of personality (Cicchetti; Toth, 1995). Although the theorists have the same opinion that formation of temperament is in the initial stage of life, yet they have different vision about what can be considered as temperamental components. According to Goldsmith temperament is the manifestation of primary emotions. He persisted that emotions give a tendency to the behaviors and psychological processes (Cicchetti; Toth, 1995).

On the other hand, Goldsmith, Buss and Plomin define limited temperament as negative emotionality like distress. In addition, they included negative emotionality as sociability and activity for instance cadence, vigor or behavioral arousal. Whereas, Thomas and Chess defined temperament as behavioral styles that are in response to environmental stimulus. Here according to them temperament includes not aptitude, emotionality or inspiration, but rather rhythmicity (Goldsmith; Alansky, 1987).

Thus, in the year 1970s, Thomas and Chess, described nine traits or characteristics of behavior in children, where every characteristic is on a spectrum from minor to intense. These traits have been used to describe the child's temperament (Fox; Kimmerly; Schafer, 1991).

Characteristics of Temperament

Activity level

Rhythmicity

Approach - withdrawal

Adaptability

Persistence - attention span

Intensity of reaction

Distractibility

Threshold of responsiveness

Quality of mood.

Activity level:

This trait is described as the total amount of physical movement during sleep and awake time. For instance, few babies are very happy to lie motionless on a blanket and occupy themselves with a toy for a longer period of time, while, others, roll themselves all over or continuously kick their arms and legs even though they are unable to roll themselves over. A common expression which is used to describe such highly active babies is "He's a bundle of energy!" (Seifer; Schiller; Sameroff; Resnick; Riordan, 1996).

Rhythmicity:

Rhythmicity describes the regularity of functions like sleep or hunger. In this trait few babies promptly set up a habit of eating after every three hours or falling asleep at the same time daily, while other infants may be much less unsurprising in their every day habits (Seifer; Schiller; Sameroff; Resnick; Riordan, 1996).

Approach - withdrawal:

The approach - withdrawal characteristics refers to the preliminary response to a new situation or incentive. Few children are more flexible in moving easily into new settings, taking very less time to join up new playmates group. On the other hand, some may take time by firstly observing the scene for a longer period before joining or accepting a new situation (Seifer; Schiller; Sameroff; Resnick; Riordan, 1996).

This approach can also be related to other settings or situations like trying a new food or altering a daily routine, such as, some children are very keen in seeking new activities and experiences while others may withdraw themselves from any such new experiences.

Adaptability:

Adaptability refers to the easiness or complexity with which reactions can be adapted. This trait is much similar to approach-withdrawal, as it deals more with how long it takes for a new child to get himself adjusted to a new situation or experience. A child, for instance, may be hesitant to join in play with a new group of playfellows but will adjust at the same time with same play group within a day or so. On the other hand, others may require a few weeks to get adjusted (Thompson; Connell; Bridges, 1988).

Threshold of Responsiveness:

This refers to how strong a stimulus requires to be reminded of a response from a child. For instance, one child may find a light touch irritating while another may need a deep hug to continue a response. This intensity of reaction refers to the vigor level of the response that is the characteristic of that child.

Another example is a child who has little threshold of responsiveness but at the same time his intensity of reaction is quite high may react to a bad taste medicine with a very loud, "Yuck!" along with lots of frowning and spitting. In contrast, another child may have the same threshold of responsiveness but a low intensity of reaction may just crumple his nose in dislike.

Persistence - Attention Span

This describes of how long a child with stay at any given activity. For example, one child might stay at a puzzle until he solves the puzzle while another might give up on the game after only a few minutes and throw up her hands in frustration (Thompson; Connell; Bridges, 1988).