Quick Definition: The characteristics of an individual’s personality that are considered innate.
Full Definition:
In the most simplest of terms, temperament is the way an individual usually acts and reacts to situations. Our temperament is made up of a number of different traits and are usually present from birth. Developmental psychologists are still not 100% clear on what influences the different temperaments of newborns, but agree that it could even be influenced by factors such as the season in which a child is born.
The most easy illustration of the concept of “temperament” comes from dog behavior therapy. Each dog is born with a default energy level and temperament, no matter how he or she is trained. Temperament can be changed over time with the right behavior patterns, however, at the core a dog or human will have their natural tendencies, unless a drastic event of lifestyle change forces them to adapt. Even so, core temperament tends to stay the same throughout one’s lifetime.
The 9 different temperament traits in children have been identified as follows:
- Activity Level
- Distractibility
- Intensity
- Regularity
- Sensory Threshold
- Approach/Withdrawal
- Adaptability
- Persistence
- Mood
Understanding temperament is important to a pickup artist because it has a major influence on how we learn and react to situations as children. And more often than not, these leanings are carried through to our adult life. For instance, a child that reacts loudly and dramatically to even minor events is considered to have a high level of intensity. And such a child would carry this temperament into adulthood and react to situations much more intensely than his peers. So a pickup artist that showed a highly intense temperament as a child will most likely react to emotional stimuli more dramatically as an adult. Such a pickup artist would need to consciously work on strengthening his emotional resilience to prevent himself from being too emotionally affected by his in-field responses.
That said, it is also important to remember when learning about temperament that it is neither good or bad; it is simply something that we are born with. What is important is to be aware of our temperament and make a conscious effort to handle ourselves accordingly.
Usage: His persistent temperament helped him improve his game at a steady pace.
Related Terms:
Inner Game, Character Development, Persona, Consistency
