BPD Temperament and Borderline Personality Disorder By Erin Johnston, LCSW Erin Johnston, LCSW Erin Johnston, LCSW is a therapist, counselor, coach, and mediator with a private practice in Chicago, Illinois. Learn about our editorial process Updated on January 25, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Steven Gans, MD Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Getty Images/Eric Audras/ONOKY Temperament can be an important factor in the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The exact causes of BPD are not known; it is most often thought to be a combination of genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) factors. Individual temperaments can predispose a person to develop BPD. What Is Temperament? Temperament refers to our inborn personality traits, which are genetic in nature. The different ways infants interact with and react to their environment and experiences are reflective of their temperament, or behavioral style. Efforts to understand individual differences in personality have occurred throughout history. Despite this, there is no clear consensus as to what the specific temperament traits are called or how they should be categorized. However, there have been some efforts to comprehensively describe temperament; one is the New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS). New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) In 1956, physicians Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess began The New York Longitudinal Study. Initially involving 133 children and spanning decades, the authors identified nine distinct temperament traits present in every individual at birth. These traits as defined can be helpful in better understanding how personality is impacted by genetic factors (or nature). According to Thomas and Chess, these traits are areas of behavioral styles found in every individual. Each temperament listed should be seen as having a range or being a spectrum; for example, some infants are going to be very distractible, others less distractible, and others even less. In the end, there are numerous combinations of these temperament traits making each infant unique at birth. Nine Temperament Traits From The Origin of Personality: Adaptability: The ease with which a child adapts to changes in his environmentActivity level: The proportion of active periods to inactive onesApproach/withdrawal: The response to a new object or personDistractibility: The degree to which extraneous stimuli affect behaviorIntensity of reaction: The energy of response regardless of its quality or directionQuality of mood: The amount of friendly, pleasant, joyful behavior as contrasted with unpleasant, unfriendly behaviorPersistence/attention span: The amount of time devoted to an activity and the effect of distraction on the activityRegularity/rhythmicity: The regularity of hunger, excretion, sleep, and wakefulnessSensory threshold: The intensity of stimuli required to evoke a discernible response Temperament Throughout Development In general, temperaments exist as they are prior to birth and are a component of an individual’s personality. Although it is thought that temperaments are genetically determined, personalities as a whole are a combination of temperaments and experiences that shape and influence a person’s development. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 0 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. CHESS, STELLA, M.D., ALEXANDER THOMAS, M.D., AND HERBERT G. BIRCH, M.D., PH.D. The Origin of Personality. Scientific American, pp 102-109. 1970 Peter L. Heineman, 1995. Temperament Theory Speak to a Therapist for BPD Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.