Temperament is the innate behavior style of an
individual that seems to be biologically determined.
Although some experts feel that labeling a child too
quickly as "difficult" may create a self-fulfilling
prophecy of problematic parent-child interaction,
knowing what kind of temperament your child has may make
the difference between a happy and a troubled child -
and between an accepting and frustrated parent. You can
use the table below to get a rough idea on how easy or
difficult your child is to raise.
|
Temperamental Traits
|
Easy
|
Difficult
|
|
Activity Level (how active the child is
generally)
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Distractibility (degree of concentration and
paying attention when child is not particularly
interested)
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Intensity (how loud the child is)
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Regularity (the predictability of biological
functions like appetite and sleep)
|
Regular
|
Irregular
|
|
Sensory Threshold (how sensitive the child is
to physical stimuli: touch, taste, smell, sound,
light)
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Approach/Withdrawal (characteristic responses
of a child to a new situation or to strangers)
|
Approach
|
Withdrawal
|
|
Adaptability (how easily the child adapts to
transitions and changes like switching to a new
activity)
|
Good
|
Poor
|
|
Persistence (stubbornness, inability to give
up)
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Mood (tendency to react to the world
primarily in a positive or negative way)
|
Positive
|
Negative
|
If your child weighs more heavily on one side of the
spectrum than the other, he may be a classic example of the
easy or difficult child. However, if your child is
in-between and his behavior presents you with problems, you
may be in need of some new management techniques.
