Temperament
the more biological component of personality
- Babies are born with "Factory Settings" aka Temperament
- Misguided attempts to modify temperament often do more harm than good
- Temperament can often be modified, but this requires skill & patience
- Mismatch between environment & temperament is a major cause of all manner of difficulties
Psychopathology is often caused by a mismatch between temperament and environment.
Most extremes of temperament may be thought of as specializations for particular situations. And,
they may not function that well when in situations for which they are not suited.
The exact dimensions of temperament are still being worked out. The dimensions presented here are clinically useful, but perhaps not precisely accurate as they may be blends of temperament & learned behavior.
Activity level
couch potato Hyperactive
prone to obesity, cardiovascular disease, low energy Difficult to sit for academics
Approach vs. Avoidance
Extreme caution in new situations Extreme risk takingSlow to warm sensation seeking
prone to
anxiety disorders prone to risky behavior
Requires more time to get used to novelty
Sensory Screening
Highly sensitive Strong screener
Princess and the Pea prone to missing important visual & auditory cues
easily distractred because sensory input is high volume
Adaptability
Inflexible Highly flexible
Has diffiuclty immediate changing behavior Easily derailed from plans
Can be mistaken for noncompliance At risk for being easily influenced
Asperger's often suspected
Attentional Flexibility
Over focused Highly distractible
Persistence
Very high persistence Very low persistence
Never gives up Benefits from work broken into short segments
Gets stuck on ideas or behaviors Seldom completes anything
Intensity of Expression
Very low High volume
Hard to tell how person feels Very pleasant if postive mood
May be Stoic until they lose it seemingly out of the blue
Mood
Born smiling Negative
Unpleasant if also high intensity
DEPRESSION