E-Books →The Long Shadow of Temperament

Identifying two extreme temperamental types-inhibited and uninhibited in childhood, and high-reactive and low-reactive in very young babies-Kagan and his colleagues returned to these children as adolescents. Surprisingly, one of the temperaments revealed in infancy predicted a cautious, fearful personality in early childhood and a dour mood in adolescence. The other bias predicted a bold childhood personality and an exuberant, sanguine mood in adolescence. These personalities were matched by different biological properties. In a masterly summary of their wide-ranging exploration, Kagan and Snidman conclude that these two temperaments are the result of inherited biologies probably rooted in the differential excitability of particular brain structures. Though the authors appreciate that temperamental tendencies can be modified by experience, this compelling work-an empirical and conceptual tour-de-force-shows how long the shadow of temperament is cast over psychological development.