Final answer:
Temperament refers to one's innate traits influencing behavior, thought and reaction to the environment, with biological and environmental factors affecting its expression. It impacts parenting and is a focus in trait theory, examining aspects like reactivity and self-regulation. The study of temperament includes historical theories linking personality traits to bodily humors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Temperament
Temperament refers to the innate traits that influence how an individual thinks, behaves, and reacts with the environment. This concept posits that there are biological foundations to our personality, observable very early in life. For instance, Thomas and Chess (1977) identified three categories of infant temperaments: easy, difficult, and slow to warm up. Research has shown that environmental factors and maturation can also play a role in how temperament is expressed in a person's personality.
Temperament is also thought to impact parent-child interactions. For example, children with easy temperaments are often more adaptable and elicit positive parenting responses, whereas those with difficult temperaments may challenge caregivers more frequently. Furthermore, trait theory explores two key dimensions of temperament: reactivity, which is how we respond to new or challenging stimuli, and self-regulation, which is the ability to control that response.
The study of temperament has deep historical roots, dating back to Hippocrates and later Galen, who related personality traits to bodily humors and described four classical temperaments: choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic, each associated with different behaviors and emotional tendencies.