The previous article in this series introduced the triune brain, the three components of which handle specialized life tasks. The survival brain, or brain stem, directs automatic physiological functions, such as heartbeat and breathing, and mobilizes fight/flight behaviour in times of threat. The emotional (or limbic) brain activates positive or…

Research with young Caucasian children found that, in response to unfamiliar situations, about 15 percent were consistently shy or inhibited, while another 15 percent were consistently sociable or uninhibited, and that these traits persisted through age eight. Both physiological and environmental factors were found to influence these temperamental…