Forehand and Long agree that characteristics of being strong-willed
are derived from a child’s temperament. According to these two
experts, temperament refers “to a child’s inborn behavioral style or
innate tendencies to act in a particular way” (9). Several sources accept the
pioneer work of Chess and Thomas that a child’s temperament is some
combinations of the nine temperament traits. These traits include
reactivity (how well a child responds, i.e. withdraw/approach, or
positively/negatively, to different situations or events),
adaptability (how well a child reacts to new situations or events),
persistence (how long a child stays with an activity), mood (general
disposition such as being positive, cheerful, serious, analytical,
cranky, or negative), activity level (whether a child is always on
the move), distractibility (how well a child can concentrate),
sensory threshold (how much a child reacts to sounds, smells, and
sights), and intensity (how strongly a child reacts to new
situations, i.e. happy/frustrated, or smile/cry)(Forehand and Long
11; MacKenzie 11-13; Filipic 2007; Fisher). Typically, a
strong-willed child tends to react intensely, have a hard time
adapting to transitions, be persistent in her/his needs, and have
inconsistent moods (Forehand & Long 11, MacKenzie
5-8).
A child with high self-esteem tends to be friendly and
cooperate, according to Don Bower, an Associate Professor and Human
Development Specialist at the University of Georgia, in “123 Grow!:
28-30 months”. He notes
that as some parents fail to recognize the difference between
“strong-willed” and self-esteem, they often punish, criticize, and
neglect the strong-willed child. As a result, a strong-willed
child usually has low self-esteem and is an underachiever. He also explains that
self-esteem is “the thoughts, feelings, and ideas” that a child
possesses, and strong self-esteem originates from loving and caring
relationships with other people (1996).
Forehand and Long recommends that parents consult
professionals if they suspect their strong-willed children have
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (50). These advices are given
since the diagnosis is difficult, often based on the frequency and
intensity of specific behaviors, and intricate to distinguish with
strong-willed behaviors (43).
These two authors refer to the research conducted by Russell
Barkley of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, who
discovers that ADHD is developmental disorder of self-control for
many children (43). The
authors notice that the core symptoms of ADHD are “inattention,
impulsivity, and hyperactivity” (42). Inattention refers to the
child’s inability to pay attention to details, to sustain attention
long enough to complete tasks, as well as the ability to make
careless mistakes and being unorganized (44-45). Impulsivity refers to the
child’s inability to wait for instructions before starting an
activity, to think before acting out, and to have adequate
self-control (45).
Hyperactivity indicates that the child tends to be “more
active, fidgety, and restless than other non-ADHD children of the
same age” (46). Later,
when these two experts address the likely causes for ADHD, they
conclude that they are either genetically heredity (70 percent of
the cases), or injury to the brain. Again, the authors assert
that there is no cure for ADHD; however, there are treatments to
reduce the symptoms or to find ways to effectively cope with the
disorder (50).
On the other hand, Tralle acknowledges
that ‘strong-willed’ is very similar to Oppositional Defiant
Disorder/Conduct Disorder.
A child who has Oppositional Defiant Disorder is
noncompliant, highly irritable, and has more negative moods than
other children of the same age. These children may violate
minor rules, have tantrums, argue with authority figures, annoy
others, blaming others for their own problems, swear, consistently
violate the rights of others, and disregard accepted social norms
and rules (Tralle 2007).
