Editing Temperament (section)

====Influences====
Most experts agree that temperament has a [[genetics|genetic]] and [[biology|biological]] basis, although environmental factors and maturation modify the ways a child's personality is expressed.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEU-az-NzTc Development of Temperament Symposium (2008)]. Philoctetes Center, New York; with panelists Sue Carter, Francis Champagne, [[Susan Coates]], Ed Nercessian, Donald Pfaff, [[Daniel Schechter]], Nadia Bruschweiler Stern</ref> The term "goodness of fit" refers to the match or mismatch between temperament and other personal characteristics and the specific features of the environment. Differences of temperament or behavior styles between individuals are important in family life. They affect the interactions among family members. While some children can adapt quickly and easily to family routines and get along with siblings, others who are more active or intense may have a difficult time adjusting. The interactions between these children and their parents or siblings are among a number of factors that can lead to stress and friction within the family.

The temperament mix between parents and children also affects family life.  For example, a slow-paced parent may be irritated by a highly active child; or if both parent and child are highly active and intense, conflict could result. This knowledge can help parents figure out how temperaments affect family relationships. What may appear to be a behavioral problem may actually be a mismatch between the parent's temperament and their child's. By taking a closer look at the nine traits that Thomas and Chess revealed from their study, parents can gain a better understanding of their child's temperament and their own. Parents may also notice that situational factors cause a child's temperament to seem problematic; for example, a child with low rhythmicity can cause difficulties for a family with a highly scheduled life, and a child with a high activity level may be difficult to cope with if the family lives in a crowded apartment upstairs from sensitive neighbors.

Parents can encourage new behaviors in their children, and with enough support a ''slow-to-warm-up'' child can become less shy, or a ''difficult'' baby can become easier to handle. More recently infants and children with temperament issues have been called "spirited" to avoid negative connotations of "''difficult''" and "''slow to warm up''". Numerous books have been written advising parents how to raise their spirited youngsters.