Birth Order Sociology

A child’s environment, for example, their family or school play a huge part in their development. Some of the main factors that influence a child’s development are their family, where the child lives, and socio-economic status. These factors often cross over and blend as they are related.

The family environment in which an individual grows up, has substantial effects on the kind of person they become later in life. It has even been argued, that the functional birth order, which is affected by the environment one grows up in, plays a bigger role in moulding them into the people that they become later in life than the biological birth order (Sulloway, 1996). Courtiol, Raymond and Faurie (2009) investigated the significance of birth order on trustfulness and reciprocation of individuals, with their hypothesis being that birth order would influence adults’ behaviour towards non-kin. The results of the experiment speak for themselves, as they indicate that a distinct trend can be seen in the characteristics of people depending on their birth order. According to Sulloway, it has been argued that the characteristic differences the birth order forms, are the consequences of sibling competition for parental investment

As senior Sociology majors at Augustana College, our final project involves effects of birth order, first generation students and Autism awareness among college age students and we would like your participation. As an Augustana College student, we are inviting you to participate in this research study by completing the survey.

Firstborn children in families develop a higher I.Q. than their siblings. The New York Times used a study that found that the average difference in I.Q. was three points higher in firstborn than closest sibling. Even though it is only three points it is significant according to researchers. While three points may not seem like a huge differences, experts say that “it can be a tipping point for some people- the difference between a high B average and a low A” (Carey, 2007). The results also show that it was because of family dynamics and not biological factors. In the study, analyze the data of Norwegian men born from 1967-1976 and found that firstborn had three percent higher than second child and four percent higher than third child. The

The development of children can depend on many factors, one of the important ones being socioeconomic status (SES). SES can be defined as a multidimensional construct, including measures of social factors such as power, prestige and hierarchical social status, and economic resources (Hackman and Farah, 2009). Child development can be studied from multiple dimensions such as physical, mental, social, and emotional development among others. For the purposes of this study, I will be focusing on how socioeconomic status affects child cognitive development.

Birth order can have an effect on many personality traits and even a child’s future occupation. First borns are more likely to become managers because their order in the family trains them to have more responsibility. This responsibility allows the child to have more managerial and leadership skills. For example,

Have you ever thought about if your mom treats you differently than the oldest or the youngest kid? If you are the youngest or the oldest have you ever thought that the middle child was treated better than you just because it's the the middle child like everyone always thinks and everything is just easier for them. Well it just might be true in another way. The birth order does affect things that happen to you. In many ways such as allergies, ADHD, and PTSD. Birth Order of when kids are born can have effects on them for the rest of their lives.

Bleske-Rechek & Kelley (2014) have noticed that past research on the link between birth order and personality seems to be biased in that data has been collected by only self-raters, which forces the single member to compare other members of family in relation to themselves. Bleske-Rechek & Kelley argue that birth order effects on personality operate within the family-rearing environment, thus individual differences in personalities between firstborn and laterborn siblings must be measured in responses to the environment according to each member.

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?

Moreover, the way they have been treated throughout their childhood can affect their personality dramatically. Birth order relates their difference in age, physical size, and status which can contribute to personality. Birth order is related to the roles and jobs available to offspring within the family. On average, first-borns tend to become leaders and hard-working. Later-borns are more agreeable, non-comforting, outgoing, and socially confident.There are many examples of how birth order can affect your personality. One example is, one day, my sister saw some item that she truly wanted on the internet. My mom kept saying no to her. My sister kept complaining and whining saying she really wanted it. Me being the person that doesn’t ask for anything, asks my mom to get something on the internet.

The birth order effect has proved to be a highly debated topic among psychologists and scientists for many years. Magazine pages are flooded with articles about how your birth order can help you pick a spouse or a career. Hundreds of books have been written about the way that birth order affects your personality and intelligence levels. There are many articles written on parenting websites suggesting the best parenting styles to use depending on the birth order of a child. Is the birth order effect a significant factor in who we are or just an elaborate, long-standing hoax? Birth order is the numerical order you are born in relative to your siblings (Moore and Cox, 1990). When a couple has a child, that child will be considered an only child until another child is born. When this second child is born that couple now has a firstborn and a baby of the family. If that couple goes on to have yet another child the first child remains the firstborn, the second child moves to the position of middle child, and the new child is now the baby of the family. The birth order effect emphasizes

This study was conducted to support Alfred Alder’s birth order theory in regards to personality characteristics. The hypothesis that first born children are more responsible, successful, and obedient than their younger siblings, while last born children are more manipulative, outgoing and rebellious were supported by these results. These findings are similar to Paulhus, Trapnell, & Chen (1999) study, results of the study indicated firstborns were nominated by their siblings as most conscientious as well as most achieving and later born children were more frequently nominated as most liberal, agreeable, and rebellious. Another study supporting the hypothesis is a study conducted by Zweigenhaft and Von Ammon (2000). In the study it was hypothesized that later born children were more rebellious then firstborns. To do this they examined the birth order of a group of U.S. college students who had been arrested for engaging in civil disobedience in a labor dispute. Later born children were more likely than firstborns to have been arrested. This provides evidence that later born children are more likely than firstborns to be rebellious.

Families and communities are the foundation for a sound and successful society. Fabrizio Bernardi explains in his study titled “Effects of Family Forms and Dynamics on Children 's Well-Being and Life Chances: Literature Review” that there is a direct correlation between family types and the “demographic, cognitive, educational and behavioral outcomes

Birth order and personality have been a topic of discussion throughout the years with many well known psychologist like Freud and Adler doing research on them. Some research that has been conducted shows there is no correlation between birth order and personality. Then there is other research that states in fact birth order does affect personality and intelligence. I believe birth order shows distinctive characteristics in regard to firstborns and their achievement level in comparison to their younger siblings.

An article in Hello magazine points out that, “Intriguingly, every astronaut to go into space has been the oldest child in his or her family” (“Is the oldest” 1). This fact may lead someone to wonder how come only the first child has gone into space, that’s because the order in which someone is born in can influence their personality. Whether someone is a bossy first-born, a creative middle child, or the baby in the family a person’s birth order could have determined some of their personality traits. Though this theory is a generalization and may not always be true, it gives people an idea of their behavior. The birth order theory can give insight about someone’s behavior and personality, this is shown in Kaffir Boy, a memoir by Mark Mathabane, and from personal experience.