Classifications
A child is going to develope different temperaments depending on biological foundations and influences, goodness of fit, and environmental issues.
Chess and Thomas Classification
There are three basic clusters that can classify the temperament of a child, these are the descriptions of those three clusters.
-Easy Child- these children are generally usually always in a positive mood, they develop childhood routines pretty quickly, and they catch on quickly (adapt) well in new/foreign situations.
-Difficult Child- these children usually react negatively and tend to cry frequently, they engage in irregular daily routines, and don't tend to accept change to well. slow to adapt.
-Slow to Warm up Child- these type of children have a low activity level, they are somewhat negative it just depends on the situation and day, and they display a low intensity when it comes to mood.
There is a new three cluster classification chart recently developed by Mary Rothbart and John Bates, these three categories are:
Extraversion/Surgency
Negative Affectivity
Effortful Control (self-regulation)
These three categories each have their own descriptions of how children are placed in each of them, but the descriptions are similar to those of Chess and Thomas. They just involve a few more distinct emotional details. Feel free to look these up though.
Emotion
Crying: In infancy a baby does not show much emotion, or it is hard to pick up. But, there are three distinct cries that the infant will make that can show their initial emotion. These cries are:
-Basic Cry- A rhythmic pattern that usually consists of a cry, followed by a briefer silence, then a shorter inspiratory whistle that is somewhat higher in pitch than the main cry, then another brief rest before the next cry. Some infancy experts stress that hunger is one of the conditions that incite the basic cry (Santrock, 2010; 348).
-Anger Cry- A variation of the basic cry in which more excess air is forced through the vocal chords (Santrock, 2010; 348).
-Pain Cry- A sudden long, initial loud cry followed by breath holding; no preliminary moaning is present. The pain cry is stimulated by a high-intensity stimulus (Santrock, 2010; 348).
Smiling: There are two types of smiles that can be distinguished within infants:
-Reflexive Smile- This smile does not occur from reaction to external stimuli and usually appears within the first month of infancy, most of the time while the baby is sleeping.
-Social Smile- This smile occurs in response to external stimuli, typically a face to face interaction. This type of smiling usually occurs within 4 to 6 weeks of age and to a caregiver's voice.
Development: as the child begins to age and enter childhood, so do their emotions and concepts in the real world. They will begin to show empathy and understanding. These are a few of the changes the child will experience:
-Improved emotional understanding.
-Marked improvements in the ability to suppress or conceal negative emotional reactions.
-The use of self-initiated strategies for redirecting feelings.
-An increased tendency to take into fuller account the events leading to emotional reactions.
-Development of a capacity for genuine empathy.
Stress: Stress can be very hard for a child to cope with, it may seem like the world around them is closing in, almost suffocating them if you will. Stress can effect the child's health physically and mentally, leading for future problems. Here a re a couple ways to help your child cope with stress:
-Reassure the child of their safety and security.
-Allow the child to retell events and be patient in listening to them.
-Encourage the child to talk about any disturbing or confusing feelings.
-Help the child make sense of what happened.
-Protect the child from re-exposure to frightening situations and reminders of the trauma.
Crying: In infancy a baby does not show much emotion, or it is hard to pick up. But, there are three distinct cries that the infant will make that can show their initial emotion. These cries are:
-Basic Cry- A rhythmic pattern that usually consists of a cry, followed by a briefer silence, then a shorter inspiratory whistle that is somewhat higher in pitch than the main cry, then another brief rest before the next cry. Some infancy experts stress that hunger is one of the conditions that incite the basic cry (Santrock, 2010; 348).
-Anger Cry- A variation of the basic cry in which more excess air is forced through the vocal chords (Santrock, 2010; 348).
-Pain Cry- A sudden long, initial loud cry followed by breath holding; no preliminary moaning is present. The pain cry is stimulated by a high-intensity stimulus (Santrock, 2010; 348).
Smiling: There are two types of smiles that can be distinguished within infants:
-Reflexive Smile- This smile does not occur from reaction to external stimuli and usually appears within the first month of infancy, most of the time while the baby is sleeping.
-Social Smile- This smile occurs in response to external stimuli, typically a face to face interaction. This type of smiling usually occurs within 4 to 6 weeks of age and to a caregiver's voice.
Development: as the child begins to age and enter childhood, so do their emotions and concepts in the real world. They will begin to show empathy and understanding. These are a few of the changes the child will experience:
-Improved emotional understanding.
-Marked improvements in the ability to suppress or conceal negative emotional reactions.
-The use of self-initiated strategies for redirecting feelings.
-An increased tendency to take into fuller account the events leading to emotional reactions.
-Development of a capacity for genuine empathy.
Stress: Stress can be very hard for a child to cope with, it may seem like the world around them is closing in, almost suffocating them if you will. Stress can effect the child's health physically and mentally, leading for future problems. Here a re a couple ways to help your child cope with stress:
-Reassure the child of their safety and security.
-Allow the child to retell events and be patient in listening to them.
-Encourage the child to talk about any disturbing or confusing feelings.
-Help the child make sense of what happened.
-Protect the child from re-exposure to frightening situations and reminders of the trauma.