Temperament and Personality

Flashcards covering key concepts related to temperament and personality.

Temperament

An individual’s characteristic behavioral style and ways of responding, biologically derived.

The Big Five Personality Factors

A model including Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism which describes human personality traits.

Openness

The degree to which one is open to experience, ranging from curious and creative to uninterested.

Conscientiousness

The tendency to be responsible, disciplined, and task-oriented, related to effortful self-regulation.

Extroversion

Includes social outgoingness, high activity, and enthusiasm; related to positive emotionality.

Agreeableness

Descriptors include trusting, cooperative, and caring behaviors; low agreeableness is seen as difficult and unhelpful.

Neuroticism

Relates to negative emotionality; includes moodiness, worry, and insecurity.

Maturity Principle of Personality Development

The concept that personality develops from birth and changes in Big 5 traits over time.

Chess and Thomas Temperament Categories

Categories including nine characteristics: activity level, rhythmicity, approach-withdrawal, adaptability, intensity, threshold of responsiveness, quality of mood, distractibility, and attention span.

Rothbart & Bates Categories

Includes Positive affect (similar to extroversion), Negative affectivity (easily distressed), and Effortful control (ability to regulate emotions).

Stability of Temperament

Refers to temperament being relatively stable over infancy but can change with experience and caregiving.

Goodness of Fit

The match between an individual’s temperament and their environmental demands affecting adolescent adjustment.