Page 8 - My FlipBook

TEMPERAMENT
Temperament is the bedrock of personality. It can be hard to
differentiate the two, but personality is actually the expression
of temperament.

Temperament is defined as the innate emotional activity that
we inherit from our parents and is identifiable when we are
tiny babies in the way we, say, react to strangers or a change in
temperature or light. Temperament can be developed or squashed
by the way we are raised, including how receptive our caregivers
were to our needs, but it remains our default condition. Some
of the characteristics studied in babies that are associated with
temperament are:

• Activity levels (relaxed or amped)
• Consistency of habits (sleeping, eating)
• Distractibility
• Sensitivity
• Irritability/frustration
• Persistence
• Approach/withdrawal to novelty

These qualities are, in the very broadest of terms, inherited from
your folks and are the psychological hand you are dealt when you
come into this world. The more accepting you are of your natural
temperament, the easier it will be to create a life that works for you.
In other words, you can grow into your personality, but you can’t
grow out of your temperament.

20 undecided.