Temperament
Temperament: Parenting, Pediatrics and Person Potential by Dr. David Turkewitz, Pediatric Newborn Hospitalist Allegheny Health Network Past President, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Temperament can be described as an individual’s underlying behavioral style and how an individual habitually responds to the events of daily living. In this article, let’s discuss background research in the field of temperament and how a knowledge of temperament can benefit parents, pediatricians and any individual. In full disclosure, I do acknowledge there is some controversy regarding the science behind infant and child temperament. I am not a specialist in developmental or behavioral pediatrics. Rather, I am currently a newborn pediatric hospitalist at West Penn Hospital with subspecialty boards in pediatric emergency medicine and clinical interests in child abuse and critical care. I first delved into the topic of infant temperament during my 4th year Chief Residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Much to my surprise, one of the leading investigators on this topic was Dr. William D. Carey, one of my continuity clinic attendings, and during the three years we worked together he never referred to his pivotal role in advancing the field of behavioral pediatrics
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AHN Pediatrics • Winter 2021 • www.ahnpediatrics.org
Dr. Carey believed: 1. Temperament is a reality, not just a "maternal perception.” 2. The child's temperament affects the parents and the care they provide. 3. Temperament predisposes to some physical problems. 4. Temperament predisposes to behavioral problems in childhood. 5. Temperament's impact on school performance is unappreciated. 6. Temperament affects responses to environmental stressors. The traits of infant temperament were first characterized 1956. Researchers Thomas and Chess considered these traits 50% genetically determined and stable. My own view is that these traits are genetically hardwired and are lifelong unless altered by circumstances that disrupt neurodevelopment such as fetal alcohol/drug exposure, adverse childhood experiences, and/or traumatic brain injury. While temperament traits are hardwired, the expression of these traits can be modified. An individual’s ability to change outward expressions of
