Part Four: Chapter 14, Temperament Is Not Destiny Summary and Analysis

Temperament is the mood or emotional range that one tends to maintain. Developmental psychologist, Jerome Kagan, of Harvard University, found four temperamental types that have different patterns of brain activity. The four temperamental types are: timid, bold, upbeat and melancholy. Within each type is a range of intensity, how it is triggered and how long it lasts. Kagan's study focused on the dimension from timid to bold in children. One main difference in the timid and the bold is how easily the amygdala is stimulated. The easily stimulated are timid, fearful, withdrawn and less talkative and more likely to develop anxiety problems later in life.

Psychologist Richard Davidson, of the University of Wisconsin, discovered a link between pre-frontal lobe activity and temperament. People who were cheerful in temperament showed...