Health

By Ronda Rose-Kayser, Sanford Health

Have you ever asked yourself: “Why did I do that?” “Why did my child react that way?” “How can I better interact with my friend or co-worker?” The answer may lay in temperament.

What is temperament?

Temperament consists of nine genetic traits blended together to influence how you feel and react to people, places and situations. It can play a major role in your relationships with family and friends — it even impacts the relationship you have with yourself. Understanding your own temperament and the temperaments of those around you can give you useful tools for job performance, relationship building and self-motivation.

Temperament traits can often be seen in young children. About preschool age temperament is set and remains relatively consistent from those years into adulthood. The key is to understand it and find ways to work with it.

What are temperament traits?

There are nine temperament traits. Everyone’s unique temperament is a mix of all these factors in varying degrees of intensity. It is important to remember, there are no “good” or “bad” temperaments, they are all unique traits that, once understood, can help you to lead a more fulfilling life.

Activity Level: How active are you? Do you prefer to move a lot, or are you content to sit quietly?

Regularity: How structured do you like your day to be? Do you have a predictable sleep-wake cycle and eating pattern?

Approach/Withdrawal: What is your first approach to something new? Do you tend to initially pull away from or move toward new experiences?

Adaptability: How much time do you take to adjust to changes? When interrupted, how do you handle the change?

Intensity: What is the energy level of your responses? Do you display feelings loudly or show them in a quiet way?

Mood: Do you tend to be smiling and cheerful or unsmiling and thoughtful?

Persistence: Do you tend to continue an activity until it is finished? Do you become frustrated after your first attempt at a new task? Do continue trying until you’ve mastered/completed the new task?

Distractibility: How easily are you drawn away from an activity?

Sensitivity: How much stimulation is needed to evoke your response? Are you bothered by changes in your environment?

How can understanding temperament help you as a parent?

Understanding your child’s temperament can help you interpret your child’s behavior. You can use your child’s temperament to guide him or her in ways that respect their individuality. This allows you to work with your child rather than trying to change him or her. For example, a child who is low-approach may be uncomfortable trying out a new activity. By understanding that, you can slowly introduce your child to the new activity, helping him or her understand how the new environment, new sounds and new people. This will allow your child to feel comfortable before feeling forced to participate.

How can understanding temperament help you reach your goals?

You can use your own temperament and internal self-talk to help you realize your own goals. For example, if you want to improve your physical fitness:

• If you know you have low activity traits, you understand that you will need extra motivation to consistently implement exercise into your day. To help you reach your goal, you can intentionally use more positive self-talk and reinforcement to go out and exercise that day.
• If you know you like schedules, you can use that part of your natural temperament to reach your goal by joining a specific exercise class or formally adding exercise onto you calendar.
• In contrast, if you know you’re high-adapt, you recognize you’ll need some flexibility in your schedule. To reach your fitness goal you may need to make note of three exercise classes during the day, allowing yourself to pick the one that fits best as you go through the day.

Understanding temperament can add some useful tools to your relationship and motivational toolbox. To learn more or to complete a temperament profile, call Sanford Health at (605) 328-7155.