1. Definition and historical roots : Defining temperament ; A brief history of temperament
2. The structure of temperament : The NYLS ; Approaches to the study of temperament ; The structure of temperament in infancy ; The structure of temperament in childhood ; A model for the early development of temperament ; Temperament types ; A concluding note on parents as informants
3. The biology of temperament : Nonhuman primates ; Temperament and the brain ; Temperament and genes
4. Infancy : Temperament in the newborn ; Caregivers' and infants' developmental issues ; The temperamental core of personality
5. The self and structures of meaning : Automatic meanings ; Emotions as structures of meaning ; Implicit and explicit knowledge ; Development of self-representations
6. Coping and culture : Children's coping ; Culture, socialization, and temperament
7. Conscience and competence : Development of the moral emotions and conscience ; Empathy ; Conscience ; Development of competence and motivation
8. Stability and change from child to adult : Temperamental stability and change
9. Problems and interventions in development : Adaption and adjustment in infancy ; Emotional and social regulation in childhood ; Reactivity and regulation in older children and adults ; Individual differences in stress reactivity ; Externalizing and internalizing patterns ; Interventions and prevention
10. Temperament, environment, and psychopathology : Temperament, personality, and psychopathology ; Direct relations between temperament and problem development ; Interactions between temperament and parenting in development of behavior problems ; Attention and psychopathology
11. Some final observations : General questions on temperament ; Temperament and the disciplines ; Issues for the future ; The value of temperament diversity.