Review of TEMPERAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Reviews the book, Temperament and Development by Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess (1977). The authors attempted to document individual differences in what were called primary reaction patterns early in infancy. The book distinguishes nine categories of temperment: activity, rhythmicity, adaptability, approach/withdrawal, threshold of responsiveness, intensity of reaction, mood, distractibility and persistence. A major theme running through this book is that the organism and environment are separable only as a convenience for study. The authors stress the reciprocal relationship between characteristics of the child and environmental opportunities, demands, and stresses. Throughout the book, the discussion is reasoned and the authors do not make extreme claims for the primacy of temperamental attributes or reject the importance of the environment. With regard to early environmental determinism, the authors cite data from diverse sources that question the simple, long-held, and cherished conviction that the impact of early experience is irreversible. The ideas presented by the authors are provocative and they stimulate our thinking about the term and emphasize the need for clarification of the concept. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)