The Bad Seed

14 Pages 3398 Words

These children are tense and very emotional and can be extremely reactive in nature. (Cook and Cook, 2003)

Temperaments can be seen from very early on in a baby’s life. For example, a baby with a difficult temperament cries more for no apparent reason than children of other temperaments. They seem to have trouble getting on a schedule or routine, have irregular sleeping patterns, and are not easily calmed or soothed. Many babies who have this temperament are called “fussy” babies, because sometimes it seems impossible to make them content. “They also have difficulty soothing themselves. They are usually very light sleepers, and they demand a great deal of attention from parents.” (Zolten and Long, 1997) “Babies come into this world with an identifiable mood as part of their personality. This normal continuum can be described as positive at one end to negative at the other end. Coping with a negative child is difficult.” (Gibson, 2004)


Supporting Facts for the Nature Argument

One of the best and most accurate studies in support of nature playing a dominant role in a child’s development is adopted identical twin studies. These studies involve children born with the same genetic makeup who are adopted separately by two very different families. Consider the case of Amy and Beth, identical twins who were adopted by two extremely different families. Amy was adopted by a family that quickly rejected her, favoring their older biological son. To this financially secure family, Amy was a disappointment. She had a learning disability and also seemed unable to restrain herself emotionally. “By the time she was ten, she had a serious psychological disorder.” Her sister Beth, on the other extreme, was adopted by an empathetic family who made her their favorite. They treated her with the highest regard, in a cheerful positive way. “Nevertheless, Beth had the same personality problems that Amy did.”...