In the world of emotions, children and adults exist in different dimensions.

Emotional Dimensions: The Unique Worlds of Children and Adults

In the world of emotions, children and adults exist in different dimensions. While little hearts experience every feeling in a vivid and unfiltered way—sometimes leading to explosive surges of emotion when faced with rejection—adults have already developed self-regulation skills and wisely choose their responses to life's challenges. Childlike spontaneity is the result of an innate temperament that gives rise to diversity, ranging from deeply feeling sensitive individuals to energetic and risk-taking active personalities. Every child is unique, and his individuality is expressed in the way he perceives the world and shares his emotions. Over time, by accumulating life experience and under the influence of upbringing, adults learn to manage their feelings by integrating their innate traits with acquired social maturity. This evolution transforms immediate outbursts into thoughtful, balanced responses that ensure internal harmony. Thus, the difference between the emotional worlds of children and adults is not only an indicator of age but also a testament to the depth of personal development, with each stage being unique and full of its undeniable merits.

How do the emotional reactions of children differ from those of adults, and what role do character and temperament play in this difference?

Emotional reactions in children differ from those in adults primarily in their immediacy and intensity. In children, emotions are expressed more vividly and often without any filter, which can even manifest as typical hysterical outbursts—as described, when a child, faced with rejection, “throws himself on the floor, cries, writhes, and continues to beg for sweets,” a characteristic reaction to life’s setbacks (source: link txt). Adults, on the other hand, generally have mastered and developed mechanisms of self-regulation, resulting in more balanced and thoughtful emotional responses.

An important factor in this difference is the innate temperament, which in children can be one of four basic types: sensitive, active, reactive, and receptive (source: link txt). Each temperament determines how deeply and intensely a child experiences emotions and the manner in which they are expressed. For example, children with a sensitive temperament feel the world on a deeper level, while active children seek expression and take risks, sometimes resulting in more vivid emotional reactions.

Over time, under the influence of upbringing and personal experience, an adult’s character comes to incorporate not only inherited temperamental traits but also acquired skills of self-control and social interaction. That is why, as noted, “No one laughs the way your baby laughs!”—each child is unique in expressing emotions, thanks to a combination of individual desires, motives, and temperament (source: link txt). In summary, the difference between the emotional reactions of children and adults is rooted in the natural immediacy and sensitivity of children, whereas adults have developed an internal regulatory system in which character and adapted temperament play a key role.

Supporting citations:

"In any life setback, hysterical children often respond inappropriately, displaying typical signs of hysteria. A child may ask for a candy (or toy, etc.), and when the mother refuses, the child throws himself on the floor, cries, writhes, and continues to beg for sweets. A frightened mother often ends up giving the crying child a handful of candies just to calm him down. Truly, 'whatever may please the child, as long as he doesn’t cry.'" (source: link txt)

"As mentioned in Chapter 4, there are four basic temperaments: sensitive, active, reactive, and receptive. Children with a sensitive temperament feel more intensely and deeply; they are the most serious. Children with an active temperament possess strong willpower, are willing to take risks, and desire to be the center of attention. Children with a reactive temperament are cheerful, inconsistent, and require more stimulation, as their interests constantly shift from one object to another. Children with a receptive temperament are easygoing and inclined to cooperate." (source: link txt)

"No one laughs the way your baby laughs! The way he eats, speaks, runs, misbehaves, jokes—no one has ever done it like that. Even if he is 'like two drops of water' similar to his father, mother, great-grandfather, or someone else closely or distantly related, your child is unique. He is individual in everything: in his desires, motives that determine his behavior, and in the way he loves his parents." (source: link txt)