Are spirited infants and children more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems?
Temperament may make certain children in certain environments more likely to have these problems. These ‘risk factors’ occur when there is a mismatch between the child’s temperament and some demand in the environment. This creates a poor fit between the child’s temperament and the expectations for behavior in the situation. ‘Easy’ babies and children may have ‘protective’ factors where mismatches are rare and the rate of conflict is low.
