Boys, Temperament, and Character: Every boy child is born with a core temperament and other inherited characteristics. His character has yet to be formed.

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Boys: Raising Confident Boys

Boys and Temperament
Parenting Boys to Manhood

Jan Wilson

Boys: His temperament begins at birth to react with the environment and with the temperament of others --even his  parents.

Every boy is born with a core temperament and other inherited characteristics, but his character has yet to be formed.

Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas, two child psychiatrists who made significant contributions to the understanding of human individuality,  concluded that temperament has nine irreducible components. From birth his temperament begins to react with the temperament of others (even parents) and also with the environment.

Eli Newberger, M.D., and author of Shaping the Character of Boys has adapted that list of temperaments to those of boys.

1. Activity Level. How intense is his activity, and what is the proportion of active to inactive periods in his day?

2. Regularity. How predictable or unpredictable is he in the timing of basic biological functions such as eating or sleeping? 

3. Approach or Withdrawal. How does he react initially to new situations?

4. Adaptability. How does he respond over time to new or altered situations?

5. Sensory Threshold. How much stimulus does he need before he responds?

6. Mood. How pleasant and friendly, or unfriendly, is he?

7. Intensity of Reaction. How energetic is his response, positively or negatively?

Raising confident boys and parenting boys to become happy, healthy men.

8. Distractibility. How easily does a new stimulus interfere with ongoing activity?

9. Persistence and Attention Span. Does he continue activities in the face of obstacles? How long will he pursue an activity before abandoning it?

Newbarger writes, "Temperament and character each affect the other. Temperament influences how receptive the child will be to life experiences and how life experiences will be absorbed by the child. Character, as it develops over the years, becomes a resource for shaping the part of temperament that is malleable."

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