types of temperaments in children

types of temperaments in children Temperament has been defined as ‘a behavioural and physiological profile that is
under some genetic control…a changing, but coherent, profile of behaviour and
emotion linked to an inherited physiology’ (Kagan, 1997, p. 269). Thomas and
Chess (1977) originally suggested three temperamental or behavioural
categories (easy, slow to warm up and difficult), defined by a profile of
dimensions (activity, regularity, approach or withdrawal to unfamiliarity,
adaptation to new situations, responsiveness, energy, a happy or irritable mood,
distractibility and attention span).
Temperament is a controversial construct because of the lack of correlation
between parental and observer ratings. It covers several dimensions of infant
behaviour including self-regulation, sociability (ranging from shy to extroverted
behaviour) and emotionality (ranging from positive to negative responses)
(Kohnstamm, Bates & Rothbart, 1989). Temperament may also include qualities
such as persistence, reactivity and rhythmicity. One dimension of temperament
for which there is increasing evidence is the shy–extroverted continuum,
including a characteristic first described by Kagan, Snidman and Arcus (1998) as
‘behavioural inhibition’. Studies suggest that at four months, 15–20 per cent of
infants react negatively to a novel stimulus. These infants are more likely to be
shy, inhibited and withdrawn as toddlers and children. This is associated with
asymmetrical frontal lobe activation on EEG and indicates a vulnerability to
shyness and social withdrawal. In contrast, other infants are excited by the novel
stimulus, perhaps predisposing them to extroversion and novelty seeking (Fox,
Henderson, Rubin, Calkins & Schmidt, 2001). Other dimensional and categorical
aspects of temperament require further empirical validation.
It is important to be cautious about explaining behaviour as a result of
temperament alone, as it may result in underlying family or developmental
issues being overlooked, and fails to acknowledge the important role of the
caregiving environment—the primary caregiver’s responsiveness and
availability to the infant—in shaping characteristic patterns of behaviour. The
contemporary understanding of self-regulation incorporates the effect of
biological vulnerability in the infant, but also considers the importance of
interactions between the infant and the caregiver, and the overall context of the
caregiving environment. It appears from preliminary research that regulatory
patterns in infants can be modified with appropriate intervention.