Birth Order Research Paper

          Psychologically and logistically, nothing is the same for the second child as for the first child. Placement in the family will never be emphasized in the same way for children that follow. Parents may wonder where to put additional children or how to take care of them financially and emotionally, however the issue of placement is psychologically met and resolved with the second child. (Hoopes et al. 1987). When new situations arise in the family or in other contexts, second children are insecure until they determine their place in the situation. This is one of the reasons that second-born children feel responsible for stability in the family structure. Since first children are responsible for the explicit rules of the family, the primary responsibility of second children is to perceive and support the implicit elements in family rules and relationships. (Leman, 1998). By identifying with the implicit emotional needs and feelings of other family members, second children represent the unacknowledged discrepancies between the family’s implicit and explicit rules and values. Second children manage tension or pain by forcing someone to make it explicit, by acting it out themselves, by distracting

After Frank Sulloway published his popular studies on how birth order affects individuals (1996 & 1999), many researchers delved into the field to determine how personality is affected by birth order. General hypotheses state that most first-born children are more intelligent than those born later, and that the youngest children are more social. Many more similar hypotheses exist in the field, and through several researches, more information on the actual relationship between birth order and personality is available. These researches and experiments give insight into the psychological significance of birth order.

If researchers hypothesis are supported and birth order affects first born children then, they will score high in Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, low in Openness to Experience, and Extraversion. Middle children score low in Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and high in Neuroticism. While youngest children will score high in Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Extraversion and low Conscientiousness. Current research will support the fact that birth order certainly plays a role as it pertains to personality and findings by Saroglou & Fiasse (2002) as well as Healy & Ellis (2006) supports the fact that parents expectations and treatment shape a child’s temperament.

The only child can show similar characteristics to either a firstborn or the youngest child. Considering there is no competition for attention from parents however, they can feel like they're being smothered and controlled. They are independent as they had no older sibling to look up to and no younger sibling to play with and teach new things to. Only children are deemed as responsible, sociable, and have a strong sense of leadership. This can lead to conflicts at a young age considering they have difficulty going with the flow. Only children feel they have entitlement.(Mellor, 1989, p.

Have you wished that you could switch places with your siblings? Whether it is because they are getting more attention from your parents or because they seem to be having more fun, understanding where your place is in the family can reveal a lot about your personality. There are many different factors that impact one’s emotions, outlook, and behavior, but birth order is the most influential. Birth order can impact every facet of our lives, including careers, relationships, and personality. The place that you were born into your family influences the way you interact with other people. But, how can multiple kids from same parents in the same house be so different?

With regards to my parents, I will play an important role taking care of them as they age. As a firstborn child, i have the responsibilities of helping my parents when need be and caring/setting an example for my younger brother. Already, I am assisting my parents in any way that i can (e.g. house chores, errands, heavy lifting, driving); more so than my brother. While my parents are currently working, eventually they will reach the age of retirement and will have to rely on my brother and I more. When they reach that stage, I will have to be a caretaker for them. I will especially be needed in matters requiring heavy physical activity.

This investigation will study how birth order affects creativity and risky behaviour throughout developmental stages. This is an important issue as many previous studies surrounded birth have concluded birth order affects personality and lifestyle. The theory of birth order holds an importance to the study of psychology as it has also been concluded that birth order can affect behavioural choices and metal process. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether a child is born first, second, third or last is linked to the development of the child’s personality and behavioural choices, specificity creativity and risk taking. This investigation will also examine if the roles and norms that have been placed on the status of a child

Researchers in science and psychology alike have pondered whether birth order has an impact on personality traits. There has been evidence discovered in favor and against this theory. Francis Galton and Alton Adler were two key men who spearheaded promotion of this theory. Through time, the idea resonated within the science realm, and it was viewed as factual. Modern researchers however, wanted more proof to substantiate these claims. What specific factors determine how birth order and personality mix? With no solid answer readily available, the question remained, is there a link between birth order and personality? And if so, what is that link? The truth is, there is no link between these two factors. Birth order has a small impact on our

Julia Badger and Peter Reddy, the authors of the academic journal “The effects of birth order on personality traits and feelings of academic sibling rivalry,” focus on the differing personality traits seen in firstborns and lastborns. Badger and Reddy exemplify how lastborns were found to experience strong academic rivalry, whereas firstborns are more likely to be conscientious and dutiful. Along with this, firstborns seek parental approval by taking on the role of surrogate parent to their sibling (lead to conscientiousness), whereas lastborns, unable to take on this surrogate role, develop new talents and seek new interests and activities within the family in order to prove that they are worthy of attention. This journal was aimed at a general audience of

Being the first born child in my family shaped the way I act and handle life. I usually have to do new tasks by myself without knowing anyone who has already done it before. Being the first born created a path for my sister to be more familiar with things I’ve already done. As I continue my journey, new experiences await me, and it’s up to my personality to get me through the real world. I’ve developed strengths, traits, and weaknesses just for being the first born.

Birth order is a commonly discussed topic inside the realms of psychological research. Many studies have been organized to show the differentiation of personality concerning birth order. Characteristics of a personality, absent of birth order, play a monumental role in how a person reacts to social influence. A principle examination will occur concerning the view of the first-born child in comparison to the later born child for the purpose of illustrating how their susceptibility differs from one another. A related yet separated analysis will be done encompassing the characteristics of personalities of the first-born individual, as well as the later born individual focusing on the Big Five Personality Dimensions.

The subject of birth order has been widely researched in the field of psychology and continues to attract social scientists to study the effects of birth order on different variables. The ordinal position of a child plays an important role in his/her life because the family is the first social system to which the child is exposed. (Collins, 2006) The familial atmosphere of a child which includes interaction not only with parents but also with siblings. This exposure to the family’s social system leads the development of the child’s personality, self – concept, intelligence therefore, leading to academic achievement, sibling rivalry, career choices, etc. It is important to note that the disparities in the birth order leads siblings of the same family to have dissimilar experiences. (Sulloway, 1999) This study would attempt to explore and expand the literature on birth order and its interaction with factors such as self-esteem and sibling rivalry specifically academic sibling rivalry.

Birth Order Personality Traits It is easy to wonder how two children from the same family can turn out so differently, with completely different personalities and ways of solving problems. Recognizing the immense influence of family dynamics on young children can clear up a lot of the confusion. For example, eldest children look to their parents as role models for their behavior, and may become perfectionistic as parents expect them to act like little adults. Middle children may become more dependent on peer approval and their friends because they tend to get relatively less attention within their families.

     Being an only child though is not filled with simply a positive side. It can also be a bad effect on the child’s personality. The child being the center of attention all the time to the parents makes them feel very special and important. They soon begin to believe that they may be the center of the world since everything in their household is revolved another them. They never have to face the problem of sibling rivalry so no one ever becomes more significant then them. Having all this praise and interest about these only children all the time will make them to be self-centered at times. Being self-centered is not a good trait to have because they have to be aware that there are other people in the world. The only children must consider how to care about other people and their feelings. Living as an only child it is hard to learn these lessons because they have no friends from the start like a brother or sister to teach them how to interact with their peers. Nonetheless only children are not hopeless and once they head into school they learn their lessons of socializing with others. (Sulloway, 1997)

Only children are selfish, spoiled, and bratty, or shy, lonely, and weird. These are all common stereotypes of only children from an outsider's perspective. I am an only child. I am mature, independent, and social, even though I may not want to share my last cookie with a friend all the time. Although I may be shy, as an insider of this subculture, I have found that being an only child is a gift and that not everyone follows these stereotypes. Only children are around adults for a significant amount of their life, especially their parents. Being around my parents has allowed me to mature quicker than other kids who have many siblings which has made me more independent. I’m extremely close with my parents because all of their focus is on me, which also puts a lot of pressure on me to do well in everything. I’m closer with my cousins and outside family because at family reunions or holidays, they are the only other kids there. My friends are like my sisters I never had and they make me more of a social person. I enjoy privacy because I’m used to it which makes me an introvert sometimes, and a lot of the time I have trouble making decisions because I don’t like conflict. Although being an only child has affected me some, when I think about all of these characteristics of myself, I don’t contribute them entirely to being an only child. Although I would be happy with siblings, I have learned to be content with being an only child.