Carrie C.
Professor Debbie J.
ENG122
May 1, 2011
Development of a Child’s Temperament Temperament is a set of in-born traits that organize the approach of a child to different situations in life and governs the personality of the individual. Temperaments appear quite stable from birth and are characteristics that are neither good nor bad but how the child receives them determines whether the child perceives them as such. It is very important that parents and caregivers understand the temperament of a child so that they may devise a way to manage the traits of the child and avoid blaming themselves or the child for natural occurrences which they have no control. This knowledge may also be important for parents to understand how their children may respond to certain situations or anticipate activities that may pose great difficulties for their children to handle, thus the ability to design a method of assisting the child who attempt those activities. It is worth noting that early development may determine the future personality of an individual although it may not be necessarily the main determinant. Thomas and Chess first brought about the theory of temperament by identifying nine traits which have so far been classified to form three groups of temperament which are: difficult to easy, slow to warm, or cautious (Oliver, 2002). This research paper aims to explore the different factors that influence the development of temperaments in a child.

Carrie 2 It is known that at some time in the development of a child, temperament stabilizes. However, it is not as simple as it sounds since some external factors affect the way temperament will be exhibited. The most important of these factors is gender differences. Boys are known to be more aggressive than girls and this is true across different socioeconomic groups and cultures. However, it can be attributed to the