ABSTRACT
Described in operational terms, my research activities of the past few years have consisted in, first, identifying behavior patterns that remain both stable and central from childhood through adolescence and, second, determining what characteristics of the individual and of his environment come to be associated with such patterns at different stages of development. The findings established in the course of this research have led me to propose that two dimensions of behavior, Expressiveness-Reserve and Placidity-Explosiveness, are manifestations of what may be called orientations; that is, characteristic and relatively unmodifiable predispositions to certain modes of interaction which play an important role in determining the nature of the individual’s experience, his effectiveness in coping with developmental tasks, and the kind of beliefs about himself and others that he eventually comes to maintain. I use the word orientation in preference to any other because I should like to avoid at present all theoretical connotations about nature or origins, such as have accrued to more f amiliar concepts — for example, that of temperament. Detailed reports on various aspects of my investigations have been published (Bronson, 1966a; 1966b; 1967). In this paper, I shall rely mainly on summaries of findings most relevant for documenting my position, illustrating the steps by which it has emerged, and elaborating its implications. *
