19.5: Goodness of Fit

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Amanda Taintor

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The Importance of Fit

An important aspect of Thomas & Chess's (1977) research considers the interaction of child temperament with caretaker personality and parenting style. They proposed that a match between the needs of a child's temperament with parental care would enhance the healthy development of self-regulation and the child's sense of self. This critical balance is known as goodness of fit.[1] A caregiver's ability to accurately read and work well with a child determines the goodness of fit between the child's temperament, parenting and caregiving. The goal for parents and caregivers in an infant or toddler center is to provide a good fit or match, meaning their styles align well and communication and interaction can flow. Temperamentally active children can do well with parents who support their curiosity but could have problems in a more rigid family.[2]

This goodness of fit between child temperament and parental demands and expectations can cause struggles. Rather than assuming discipline alone will improve children's behavior, temperament knowledge may help a parent, teacher, or other caregiver gain insight to work more effectively with a child. It is helpful to view temperamental differences as varying styles rather than 'good' or 'bad' behavior. For example, a persistent child may be difficult to distract from forbidden things such as electrical cords, but this persistence may serve her well in other areas such as problem-solving.[3]

What is most beneficial about the goodness of fit concept is that it does not require adults and children to have matching temperaments. The parent or caregiver does not have to change who they are; they can alter or adjust their caregiving methods to positively support their child's natural way of responding to the world. For example, if a child is highly active, a caregiver may pack extra activities in the diaper bag for waiting times at visits to the doctor, grocery store, etc. For a child who needs some extra time in approaching new activities, giving the child time to adjust and feel safe sets them up for more success. [4]

[1] Culture and Psychology by L D Worthy; T Lavigne; and F Romero is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

[2] Human Development by Human Development Teaching & Learning Group is licensed under a CC BY- NC-SA 4.0,

[3] Human Development by Human Development Teaching & Learning Group is licensed under a CC BY- NC-SA 4.0,

[4] U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2018, May 30). Introduction to Temperament. ECLKC. is in the public domain