“Why is it that I can’t control myself? I know what’s right and wrong. I just don’t seem to be able to do what’s right!” you may ask. Know this at the moment of our conception we all inherited a basic genetic temperament that contains both our strengths and our weaknesses. This temperament is called several things today. It is the basic impulse of our being that seeks to satisfy our wants. To properly understand the temperament’s control of our actions and reactions we should first understand and carefully distinguish among these three terms:
Temperament, Character, and Personality.
Temperament
Temperament is the combination of inborn traits that subconsciously affects our behavior. These traits are passed on by our genes based on hereditary factors and arranged at the time of conception. Studies have shown that six people contribute through the gene pool in the makeup of every baby; two parents and four grandparents. Some further study suggest that we may get more genes form our grandparents that our parents. That could count for the gereater resembleance of some children to their grandparents than to their parents.
It is a person’s temperament that makes that person outgoing and extrovert in nature or shy and introvert in nature as well.
Character
The real you is character. Character combines your temperament, training, moral values, habit patterns and beliefs all together. It influences all your life’s commitment. It is what you really are when there is no one else around. What you do when you have the freedom to do what you want to do is an expression of yourself.
Personality
Your personality tells about your outward expression of oneself, which may or may not be the same as a person’s character.
Most times than not personality is a pleasing false appearance that makes someone seem more pleasant or better than they really are. Many persons are acting a part today on the basis of what they think they should be as a person, rather than what they really are.
All I’m saying in general is that temperament is the combination of traits we were born with; character is our ”civilized” temperament; and personality is the ”face” we show to others.
Since temperament traits are inherited genetically form our parents, do well to keep in mind some of the natural factors that influences them. A person’s gender will also affect his or her temperament, particularly in the case of emotions. Women often tend to be more emotionally expressive than men. Men and women may have the same temperament, but the extent of emotional expression will defiantly vary.
Temperament traits, whether we control then or not, will defiantly last throughout our life time. The older we get in some cases, the softer and more mellow our harsh nature tend to become. People feel that if they are to live at peace with friends and neighbors, it is best to emphasize their natural strengths and subdue their weaknesses. Many successfully develop their character and also improve their personalities, but it is doubtful that humans are able to change basic temperament. Yet it is possible to modify it to such a way that is almost seems to have changed.
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