essay

Michelle Watson, “Shades of Character”

Anyone who has spent time around children will notice that each one has a special personality all his or her own. Children, like adults, have di erent traits that make up their personalities. Experts

Classifcation have researched these traits in detail, and they classi y children system is made

up of three per-into di erent categories. Some experts have named more than • sonality types three categories, but Dr. Peter L. Mangione has chosen three that determined by

experts most experts agree with. These categories are “fexible,” “ ear ul,” and “ eisty.” Children generally may have similar interests, but the Explains the

principle of way they interact and deal with these interests displays their • personality types.

The fexible personality is the most common o the three types. About “ orty percent o all children all into the fexible or easy group” (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). These children usually handle eelings o anger and disappointment by becoming only mildly upset. This does not mean that they do not eel mad or disappointed, they just choose to react mildly. These actions mean the fexible child is easy to take care o and be around. According to Mangione, such children usually “adapt to new situations and activities quickly, are toilet-trained easily, and are generally • cheer ul.” Flexible children are subtle in their need or attention. Instead o yelling and demanding it, they will slowly and politely let their caregivers know about the need. I they do not get the attention right away, they “seldom make a uss.” They patiently wait, but they still make it known that they need the attention. These children also are easygoing, so routines like eeding and napping are regular (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”).

Flexible children may be re erred to as “good as gold” because o their cheer ul attitudes. Since these are well-behaved children, • the caregiver needs to make sure the child is getting the attention he or she needs. The caregiver should “check in with the fexible child rom time to time” (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). By checking in with the child regularly, the caregiver will be more knowledgeable about when the child needs attention and when he or she does not.

classification for the categories

Watson devotes two paragraphs to each category; ¶2 & 3 explain the signifcant characteristics of “fexible” children

Suggests the purpose for classifying children (to aid in their care)

The next temperament is the ear ul type. These are the more quiet and shy children. This kind makes up about 15 percent o all children, according to Mangione. They adapt slowly to new environments and take longer than fexible children when warming Signifcant

characteristics of “fearful” chil-up to things. When presented with a new environment, ear ul •

children o ten cling to something or someone amiliar, whether it be the main caregiver or a material object such as a blanket. The ear ul child will cling until he or she eels com ortable with the new situation. This can result in a deep attachment o the child to a particular caregiver or object. Fear ul children may also withdraw when pushed into a new situation too quickly (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). They may also withdraw when other children are jumping into a new project or situation they are not com ortable with. These children may tend to play alone rather than with a group.

In dealing with ear ul children, caregivers fnd they need more attention than fexible children. A good technique or helping these children is having “a sequence o being with, talking to, stepping back, remaining available, and moving on” (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). The caregiver can also help ear ul children by giving them “extra soothing combined with an inch-by-inch ostering o independence and assertiveness” (Viorst 174). One o the most e ective techniques is just taking everything slowly and helping the child to become more com ortable with his or her surroundings.

The third temperament type is called eisty. About “ten percent” o children ft into this category (“Flexible, Fear ul, or • Feisty”). Feisty children express their opinions in a very intense way. Whether they are happy or mad, everyone around them will know how they eel. These children remain active most o the time, and this causes them to be very aggressive. Feisty children o ten have a tendency toward “negative persistence” and will go “on and on nagging, whining and negotiating” i there is something they particularly want (“Facts About Temperament”). Unlike fexible •

dren explained in ¶4 & 5

By including percentages, Watson shows how litle her categories overlap and how inclusive they are, since the categories cover in total about 65% of the population

Signifcant char- acteristics of “feisty” children explained in

children, eisty children are irregular in their napping and eeding ¶6 & 7 times, but they do not adapt well to changes in their routines. They

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get “used to things and won’t give them up” (“Facts About Temperament”). Anything out o the ordinary can send them into a ft. I these children are not warned o a change, they may react very negatively (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). Feisty children also tend to be very sensitive to their surrounding environment. As a result, they may have strong reactions to their surroundings.

When dealing with eisty children, the caregiver should know strategies that receive positive results when di erent situations arise. Mangione supports the “redirection technique” to calm eisty children. This method helps when the child is reacting very negatively to a situation. According to Mangione, to properly implement the redirection technique, the caregiver should

begin by recognizing and empathizing with the eelings o the eisty child and placing frm limits on any unacceptable behavior. This response lets the child know that both his or her desire or the toy and eelings o anger when denied the toy are acceptable to the caregiver. At the same time, the caregiver should clearly communicate to the child that expressing anger through hurt ul or disruptive behavior is not acceptable. The child will probably need time to experience his or her emotions and settle down. Then o er an alternative toy or activity that may interest the child, who is then given time to consider the new choice and to accept or reject it.

Caregivers should consider that these children generally do not have regular eeding and napping times. The caregiver should be fexible when working with these children and should try to con orm more to the desires o the child (“Flexible, Fear ul, or Feisty”). I there is going to be a change in a child’s routine, the caregiver has an easier time when the child has been warned o the change.

Generally speaking, children can be divided into three groups, but caregivers must not orget that each child is an individual. Children may have the traits o all three o the • personality groups, but they are categorized into the one they are most like. Whatever their temperament, children need to be treated

Conclusion reiterates the categories and ends with a thesis statement explaining why it’s helpful to classify children this way

according to their individual needs. When these needs are met appropriately the child will be happier, and those around the child will eel better also. Knowing the general personality types and how to react to them will help to make the caregiver’s job much easier and aid in the relie o unnecessary stress.

Works Cited “Facts About Temperament.” Australian Temperament Project.

Australian Temperament Project, ai s.gov.au/atp/ acts-about- temperament. Accessed 25 Oct. 2000.

Flexible, Fearful, or Feisty The Different Temperaments of Infants and Toddlers. Content developed by Peter Mangione, J. Ronald Lally, and S. Signer; written by Peter Mangione; produced by J. Ronald Lally; directed by Janet Poole. Media Services Unit, Cali ornia Department o Education, and WestEd, 1990.

Viorst, Judith. “Is Your Child’s Personality Set at Birth?” Redbook, vol. 186, no. 1, Nov. 1995, p. 174+. EBSCO Host, connection. ebscohost.com/c/articles/9510191810/your-childs-personality- set-birth. Accessed 23 Oct. 2000.

Michelle Watson, “Shades o Character” by Michelle Watson is used by permission o the author, Michelle Watson DeBord.

[Editor’s note: Every efort has been made to include accurate URLs for websites cited. How- ever, some of this information may be inaccurate.]