Temperamental traits of adolescents studying in professional and non-professional courses

Temperament refers to physiologically innate characteristics that result in patterns of behavior and emotional reactivity that remain stable over a variety of situations and throughout an individual's lifetime. The 15 dimensions of temperament are Sociability, Ascendance, Secretiveness, Reflective, Impulsive, Placid, Accepting, Responsible, Vigorous, Co-operative, Persistence, Warmth, Aggressiveness, Tolerance and Tough minded. 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. The study was conducted on 200 college students (100 each from professional and non-professional) with an objective to assess and compare the temperamental traits of adolescents studying in professional and non-professional courses. The sample was selected through purposive random sampling from various professional colleges and non-professional colleges. The investigator used Dimensions of Temperament Scale (DTS) by Dr. N.K. Chadha and Sunanda Chandana. The data was subjected to Mean, SD and t test. Significant differences were seen in sociability, ascendance, reflective, placid, accepting, vigorous, co-operative, aggressiveness and toughness. secretiveness, impulsivity, responsible, persistence, warmth, and tolerance failed to yield significant difference.