Early character has a lasting impact

If children show very careful, fearful and evasive behavior, one speaks of an inhibition of behavior. (Photo: NiDerLander / iStock)

Careful and shy: Some toddlers have a strikingly reserved character. A long-term study now shows that this behavioral pattern also predicts which personality traits a person will have in adulthood: 14-month-old children who showed this so-called behavioral inhibition later developed into comparatively introverted adults with little social activity. These characteristics can also be linked to mental health problems, the study shows.

Everyone is different – and, as is well known, this individuality emerges very early in life. An important aspect of the early childhood character is how the little ones react emotionally and in behavior to other people and their environment. While many small children are comparatively adventurous and sociable, there is also the opposite character: the so-called behavior inhibition is characterized by careful, fearful and evasive behavior towards unknown people, objects and situations.

This personality profile in children has already been the focus of previous research. “Although studies have linked early childhood behaviors to the development of certain traits, the results of our study are special,” said Daniel Pine of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethestda. He and his colleagues looked at a very early development phase and their study spanned an extremely long period of time: it goes back to the early 1990s. At that time, the researchers won 165 small subjects for their study. “It’s amazing that we have been able to keep in touch with this group of people for so many years. First their parents and now they are still interested and involved in the work, ”says co-author Nathan Fox of the University of Maryland in College Park.

Early childhood reluctance is emerging

For the long-term study, the children were recorded with video cameras at the age of 14 months while they were exposed to three unusual situations when accompanied by their mothers: a strange adult approached, they came into an unknown playroom and they were confronted with a toy robot that was so big was like herself. The scientists then evaluated how long it took the children to adapt to the situation and how close they stayed to their mothers. From this they then derived the degree of behavior inhibition.

At the age of 15, the participants were asked to take tests again. They completed tasks on the computer while their brain activity was recorded by electroencephalography (EEG). The focus was on the reactions of the test subjects when they made mistakes. As the researchers explain, this can provide insight into the level of sensitivity to these negative experiences, which in turn is linked to other psychological characteristics of a person. The study was then rounded off by a detailed survey of the subjects at the age of 26. It provided detailed insights into the personality traits, mental health and social life of the study participants.

25 years later …

The researchers found that behavioral inhibition at 14 months predicted certain personality traits at the age of 26: as adults, these subjects had a comparatively high level of reluctance and introverted behavior and were rather unaffected with friends and family members. In their love life, however, they were not necessarily less successful: They reported comparatively few partners in the past ten years, but were not less often in a steady relationship than others at the age of 26. The researchers also found no particular abnormalities in educational success and employment.

As they report further, the subjects who had shown behavioral inhibition at the age of 14 months also showed a tendency to psychological problems such as anxiety disorders and depression. However, this was only clearly pronounced in those who also showed increased error-related negativity signals at the age of 15.

Characterize predisposition and experience

When asked what the formative effect of early childhood behavioral inhibition might be based on, the researchers point to a possible mix of disposition and associated experience. “With increasing age, the basic personality can increasingly solidify through experiences that are selected or created by the individuals themselves,” write the scientists. For example, some parents might be over-protective of their shy children, further reinforcing the basic character and avoidance of social interactions.

Whatever the exact background, the study underscores the influence of early childhood temperament on character in adulthood, the scientists conclude. The results also suggest that neurophysiological markers such as error-related negativity can help identify people who are most at risk of developing certain mental health problems in adulthood.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health, technical article: PNAS, doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1917376117

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