Temperament

Few music lovers realize that the arrangement of notes on today’s pianos was once regarded as a crime against God and nature, or that such legendary thinkers as Pythagoras, Plato, da Vinci, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Newton and Rousseau played a role in the controversy. Indeed, from the time of the Ancient Greeks through the eras of Renaissance scientists and Enlightenment philosophers, the relationship between the notes of the musical scale was seen as a key to the very nature of the universe. In this engaging and accessible account, Stuart Isacoff leads us through the battles over that scale, placing them in the context of quarrels in the worlds of art, philosophy, religion, politics and science. The contentious adoption of the modern tuning system known as equal temperament called into question beliefs that had lasted nearly two millenia–and also made possible the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and all who followed. Filled with original insights, fascinating anecdotes, and portraits of some of the greatest geniuses of all time, Temperament is that rare book that will delight the novice and expert alike.

Timely and authoritative, this unique handbook explores the breadth of current knowledge on temperament, from foundational theory and research to clinical applications. Leaders in the field examine basic temperament traits, assessment methods, and what brain imaging and molecular genetics reveal about temperament's biological underpinnings. The book considers the pivotal role of temperament in parent–child interactions, attachment, peer relationships, and the development of adolescent and adult personality and psychopathology. Innovative psychological and educational interventions that take temperament into account are reviewed. Integrative in scope, the volume features extensive cross-referencing among chapters and a forward-looking summary chapter.

Originally published in 1984, this title looks at the development of temperament in early life. At the time of publication there were three major perspectives on temperament: paediatrics, individual differences in infants, and inherited personality traits that appear in early life. Whatever the diversity of these perspectives, they converge on personality traits that develop early in life, hence the title of this book. The authors start by looking at the main research in this field, then go on to discuss their own approach to temperament, building on their original theory from 1975.

This work explores the differences between temperamental traits and psychological disorders. What is the difference between a child who is temperamentally sad and one who has depression? Can a child be angry by temperament without being mentally ill? Here, the author discusses the factors that can propel children with particular temperamental tendencies towards or away from more problematic trajectories.

This book offers a realistic and eminently practical understanding of the role temperament plays in development. The combination of wisdom, common sense, and concrete clinical strategies found in these pages will prove invaluable to psychiatric and health professionals, teachers, and special educators. It also serves as a benchmark text for advanced courses in child psychology and psychiatry.

Having investigated temperament for four decades, mostly at the University of Warsaw, Stelau decided that it was time to integrate the findings encysted in widely separated studies that are geographically narrow, limited to specific paradigms and conceptualizations, or focus on a select age group. The thoroughness of his compendium forced him to consider only what he sees as the most important issues because of size constraints. He writes primarily for psychology students, but also has in mind professionals from the many fields in which particular views of temperament have been developed and are being used in isolation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Integrating findings from recent literature and his ongoing 20-year research program, Watson (psychology, U. of Iowa) presents a framework for understanding short-term mood fluctuations and their relationship to differences in temperament and emotionality. He discusses the biological and environmental bases for mood fluctuations, relates affectivity to personality, links negative emotionality to various health complaints, and describes the implications of his study for theories of happiness.

For the past twenty years Keirsey has continued to investigate personality differences, to refine his theory of the four temperaments and to define the facets of character that distinguish one from another. His findings form the basis of Please Understand Me II, an updated and greatly expanded edition of the book, far more comprehensive and coherent than the original, and yet with much of the same easy accessibility. One major addition is Keirsey's view of how the temperaments differ in the intelligent roles they are most likely to develop. Each of us, he says, has four kinds of intelligence, tactical, logistical, diplomatic, strategic, though one of the four interests us far more than the others, and thus gets far more practice than the rest. Like four suits in a hand of cards, we each have a long suit and a short suit in what interests us and what we do well, and fortunate indeed are those whose work matches their skills. As in the original book, Please Understand Me II begins with The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, the most used personality inventory in the world. But also included is The Keirsey Four-Types Sorter, a new short questionnaire that identifies one's basic temperament and then ranks one's second, third, and fourth choices. Share this new sorter with friends and family, and get set for a lively and fascinating discussion of personal styles.