AbstractResearch on children's temperament and personality has been growing substantially in the past several decades with the development of various child‐oriented theories and sophisticated methodologies. As a result, we now have an extensive understanding of the organization of basic characteristics such as reactivity and self‐regulation in childhood and their independent and joint contributions to social, cognitive, and psychological adjustment in the later years. In this chapter, we review and discuss major theoretical perspectives and assessment issues, biological foundations for temperament and personality development, relations of major aspects or dimensions of temperament and personality to adjustment outcomes, and the involvement of family and peer experiences in temperament and personality development. We also discuss how cultural norms and values affect the display and the developmental significance of temperament and personality. We particularly emphasize the role of socialization, such as culturally guided social evaluation and regulation of individual characteristics in interactions, in shaping the developmental processes and patterns of temperament and personality. The chapter concludes with a discussion of practical implications and future directions.
