Parenting Article No. 112
TEMPERAMENT
When babies are born, they come with a range of
external and internal characteristics. As the child
grows, the physical ones start to influence the child’s
life choices. For instance, a long baby who grows into
a relatively tall child may do well at sports where
height is an advantage.
In the same way,
temperamental characteristics are often apparent from
day one – some babies will be placid, others will
reach out for new things with enthusiasm, others will
be alert to every sound. These characteristics affect
the way the child approaches life and are therefore
very important for parents to understand.
In his book, “When Anger Hurts Your Kids”, McKay
describes nine temperamental traits:
 Activity level – eg. passive, very restless,
fidgety
 Basic Mood Quality – eg. fussy, solemn
happy, easygoing
 Approach to new experiences – eg.
extremely timid, loves exploring new things
(can be reckless)
 Rhythmicity – eg. very predictable, not
predictable (esp. patterns of sleeping and
eating)
 Adaptability – eg. changeable, inconsistent,
inflexible, resists changes
 Sensory threshold – eg. may be very sensitive
to noise/touch, may need a lot of stimulation
to get a reaction.
 Intensity of reaction – eg. does not respond
much, loud/active expressiveness
 Distractability – eg. does not concentrate,
cannot stop thinking (worrying)
 Persistence – eg. gives up easily, stubborn
and will not give up.
Although these temperamental traits are innate they
are continually influenced by interaction with each
other and the environment. Parents therefore have a
critical role in the early years. You need to be aware
of your children’s temperaments because you can
provide reinforcement for the socially useful traits
and supportively guide changes in the negative ones.
This is not as simple as it sounds! These traits each
have some kind of value. There are advantages and
disadvantages at either end of the ranges. For
example, a high degree of persistence is good if a
child is learning a new skill but not if they are
determined to escape from the back garden! A small
child that does not like new experiences may be
easier to keep safe because they will stick close to
familiar adults but they will not try new foods easily
and may be very upset on starting kindergarten.
It can be destructive if the parent unintentionally
reinforces difficulties. Imagine what goes on in a
child's head when they hear their parent say “Oh, she
never concentrates! she forgets all the time!” What
will that child learn about herself? It is better to say
something that promotes the behaviour you want by
giving the child a clear expectation about it - “ She is
going to write a reminder for herself so she will not
forget”. The important thing is to treat this positively,
not to criticise a child or call them naughty for
something that is an inbuilt tendency.
Knowing your child’s temperament will enable you
to plan behavioural routines that suit them best. A
child with high distractability may be helped to
concentrate by “chunking” tasks into manageable
segments with breaks inbetween. A child that is
anxious about new experiences can be introduced
gradually to an event with the support of stories and
pictures and playing it out at home. A fussy baby with
a low sensory threshold (startles easily) will be harder
to soothe than an easygoing one who responds well to
regular habits, but will still be helped by setting up
good routines.
Finally, have a look at your own temperament and see
how it interacts with your child’s. What differences
and similarities are there? and how do they make your
relationship easier or harder?
For a complete list of Regional Parenting Service articles go to the City of Greater Geelong website
www.geelongaustralia.com.au/community/family/services/article/8cbc84b53070368.aspx