The Temperamental Thread: How Genes, Culture, Time and Luck make Us Who We Are
Books / Hardcover
Books › Psychology › Personality
ISBN: 1932594507 / Publisher: Dana Press, April 2010
In this accessible overview for general readers, Kagan (emeritus professor of psychology, Harvard University) uses examples from his own research, including a study of 450 children from infancy to adulthood, to look at the ways that genes, gender, and culture contribute to temperament, the set of individual inborn traits that underlie a person's responses to the environment. He begins by explaining what temperament is, then discusses recent evidence related to temperament and gender, ethnicity, and mental illness, and the connection between temperament and the division of labor in society. He shows that variations in temperament are accompanied by variations in brain functions, the nervous system, hormones, and the immune system. Concepts are illustrated with real-life stories of people of different temperaments, plus a few b&w illustrations. A glossary is included. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Temperament is the single most pervasive aspect of us and our fellow human beings. We notice it; we gossip about it; we make judgments based on it; we unconsciously shape our lives around it.In The Temperamental Thread, developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan draws on decades of research to describe the nature of temperament—the in-born traits that underlie our responses to experience. Along the way he answers such questions as, How does the temperament we are born with affect the rest of our lives? Are we set at birth on an irrevocable path of optimism or pessimism? Must a fussy baby always become an anxious adult?Kagan paints a picture of temperament as a thread that, when woven with those of life experiences, forms the whole cloth of an individual’s personality. He presents solid evidence to show how genes, gender, culture, and chance interact with temperament and influence a mature personality. He explains how temperament sets the stage for the many personality variations that we see all around us.Research into temperament, powered by the new tools of neuroscience and psychological science, is enriching our understanding of others in every context, from our closest relationships to those in workplaces, schools, and even casual encounters. Jerome Kagan shows us how.
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