Your friends have a 6-month-old son, Ethan. Ethan often is irritable, is prone to anger, and is easily distressed. Your friends are hoping that Ethan is just "in a bad stage" and that he will outgrow his behavior

Question

Which category of temperament would you put Ethan in and what can you tell your friends about the stability of temperament?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer will be similar to the following:
Based on your friend's description, Ethan sounds like a "difficult" infant. But rather than referring to the category, you discuss the more modern theory which focuses on dimensions. You can tell your friends that Ethan's behavior is typical of infants with high levels of "negative affect."

Will this difficult stage pass? Studies of the stability of temperament indicate that temperament is somewhat stable. For example, fearful preschoolers tend to be inhibited as older children and adolescents. Also, newborns who cry under moderate stress tend to cry as 5-month-olds when they are in stressful situations. A difficult temperament during the preschool years is related to behavior problems by the time children enter school. Based on the studies of the stability of temperament, no one can say with certainty that Ethan will continue to be difficult but he is more likely to be a difficult child than someone else who is an easy infant. The environment also plays a role in the stability of temperament so that your friends' skillful parenting may help Ethan to become less difficult.