Temperament and externalizing behavior: Peer acceptance as a protective factor.

The construct of temperament is commonly viewed as the basic organization of personality, which is observable as early as infancy and becomes elaborated over the course of development as the individual's skills, abilities, cognitions, and motivations become more sophisticated (Calkins & Degnan, 2006; Rothbart, Ahadi, & Evans, 2000; Rothbart & Bates, 2006; Shiner & Caspi, 2003). Although temperament is thought to influence the development and expression of personality characteristics, Rothbart and Bates (2006) qualified this relation with the assertion that temperament focuses on reactive and self-regulatory processes and is only one component of a child's developing personality