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Understanding Temperament and Personality

TEMPERAMENT

BIOLOGICAL LEVEL

  • Focus on four major areas related to temperament:
    • Personality neuroscience
    • Behavioral genetics
    • Genes in context
    • Evolutionary psychology

TODAY’S ROADMAP

  • Discussion includes:
    • Basic ideas about temperament
    • Three systems relevant for human personality:
    1. Temperament
    2. Extraversion, Negative Affectivity, and Self-Regulation/Effortful Control
    3. Personality Neuroscience
    • The Reward System (Behavioral Activation System - BAS)
    • The Threat System (Behavioral Inhibition System - BIS)
    • Executive Control

UNDERSTANDING TEMPERAMENT

WHAT IS TEMPERAMENT? A SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION

  • Temperament refers to:
    • Characteristic ways of responding to the world presented early in life.
    • It is from this foundation that adult personality develops.
    • It is assumed to largely reflect inherited biological tendencies.

TEMPERAMENT VS. PERSONALITY

  • Temperament:

    • Based on inherited biology, noticeable in early life with little effect from experience.
    • Represents the "how" of emotional and behavioral expression.
    • E.g., typical mood, chronic level of activity, emotional reactivity.
    • Modified through maturation, interaction with environment, and experiences.

  • Personality:

    • Represents the "what" or "why" of expression.
    • Includes beliefs, values, personal goals, and narratives.
    • It incorporates experiences into how temperament expresses itself.

MODEL OF TEMPERAMENT (ROTHBART & DERRYBERRY, 1981)

  • Based on psychobiological models put forth by developmental psychologists.
  • Links with underlying neural networks that contribute to temperament.
  • Identified broad dimensions of temperament:
    1. Reactivity (affective, cognitive, behavioral)
    • Dimensions:
      • Extraversion
      • Negative Affectivity
      • Self-regulation/Effortful Control
  • This model serves as a basis for understanding adult personality.

BEHAVIORAL REPERTOIRE

  • Definition involves:
    • General tendencies (e.g., smiling, experiencing frustration).
    • Responses to various situations, especially novel experiences.
    • These behaviors can be observed by trained coders or reported by caregivers.

DIMENSIONS OF TEMPERAMENT

1. EXTRAVERSION/SURGENCY

  • Key characteristics include:
    • Activity: Rate and extent of locomotion.
    • Low Behavioral Inhibition: Willingness to engage with novelty and challenges, especially social ones.
    • High-Intensity Pleasure: Enjoyment derived from intensity and novelty of experiences.
    • Positive Affect: Expression of joy through smiling and laughter in response to stimulating changes.
    • Impulsivity: Speed of initiating responses to stimuli.
    • Positive Anticipation: The sense of excitement looking forward to the future.

2. NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY

  • Involves negative feelings and responses, including:
    • Frustration: Arising from goal blocking and interruptions.
    • Fear: Anticipatory distress regarding potential threats.
    • Discomfort: Unpleasantness felt when overstimulated or faced with complexity.
    • Sadness: Responses to loss, suffering, or disappointment.

3. SELF-REGULATION/EFFORTFUL CONTROL

  • Major components consist of:
    • Attentional Control: Ability to focus and shift attention effectively.
    • Inhibitory Control: Ability to suppress inappropriate behavioral responses.
    • Perceptual Sensitivity: Acute awareness of subtle changes in the environment.
    • Low-Intensity Pleasure: Enjoyment derived from stimuli that are low in intensity, complexity, and novelty.

TEMPERAMENT IN ACTION! (Examples)

  • Activity: Reflects rate and extent of physical movement.
  • Low Behavioral Inhibition: Willingness to engage in social challenges without fear.
  • High-Intensity Pleasure: Reactions dominated by excitement and energy linked to new experiences.
  • Positive Affect: Frequent smiling and laughter showcased in various changes and stimuli.
  • Impulsivity: Quick responses in novel situations driven by excitement.
  • Positive Anticipation: Engaging in future planning with enthusiasm.

TEMPERAMENT AND PERSONALITY

  • Temperament serves as a predictor for later behaviors and overall personality.
  • Extraversion/Surgency in early life forecasts trait extraversion in adulthood.
  • Extraversion/Surgency at age 10 predicts impulsiveness and externalizing behaviors.
  • Effortful Control forecasts development of trait conscientiousness.

TEMPERAMENT AS DESTINY

  • Rothbart & Derryberry (1981) emphasize that although temperament is influenced by biological traits, it can be shaped over time through maturation and experiences.
  • Understanding this influence helps to parse out how early temperament affects future behavior patterns.

REFLECTION QUESTION

  • Reflect on Rothbart & Derryberry’s three dimensions of temperament:
    • Do you think your adult personality traits align with your childhood temperament?