ABSTRACT
Historically, temperament has been defined by a set of categories of behavior. For example, the most basic definition of temperament is an innate disposition or tendency of the newborn to act in a particular fashion. Alternatives to this traditional definition are needed because (1) temperament as defined now is too broad a construct to be scientifically useful, and because (2) neurophysiological features such as threshold, dampening, and reactivity already exist as useful constructs for understanding neurological action. The relation between environment, temperament, and personality also needs to be considered in order to show that although temperament may have a constitutional aspect it can be best understood as it interacts with the environment. A child’s personality is a product of constitutional factors including temperament, however defined, and experience. This interactional approach will allow us to view group differences in threshold, specifically Oriental and Occidental threshold differences. The demonstration of such group differences are considered under the general theme of the interaction between culture and biology and the models that such interactions generate. Such issues provide a means to focus on the role of the parent and clinician in understanding temperament differences in children.
