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Relationship Between Personality And Order Of Birth

Decent Essays

The Link between Personality and Order of Birth

By Cathryn Carlisle

Two siblings raised in the same home with the same parents will each have different environments that they grow up in that helps mold what personality traits they each will have. The order in which they are born also affects their traits. It affects their personalities and they take on roles in the family depending on how big the family is. The most commonly recognized personalities are: first-born, middle child, last-born, and only child. There are also variances in personalities for children that are adopted, born after the previous child has died or the mother miscarried, and step-child. The first child is always know as the leader, second the rebellious one, the last …show more content…

Why is it that we always hear this? Is it more than just a wives tail?

When a couple has their first child, he or she, they experiment with their first born. The couple is new to child rearing and has little knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, and they will go through a lot of trial and error while raising their first-born. Some parents go by the book and are extremely attentive and over protective of their first-born. This creates an environment where the child is the center of attention, rules are strict, and every detail is planned. First-borns have a lot of responsibility put on their shoulders early in their lives. They unknowingly take on a leadership role when it comes to sticking to the rules and watching over the other kids. Their parents often use them as an extra pair of hands or eyes when it comes to caring for the younger children. Something as simple as “Go fetch your brother for me” or “Make sure your sister doesn’t eat the sand” first-borns take favors like this seriously and with pride and it puts then in an authoritive role which is why many people always view the eldest as responsible and mature. They also learn they are an example to their sibling/s and often first-born’s consequences for misbehaving are often higher than that of the other children. This is how most families function and due to first-born’s mature attitude parents allow them to fall into this role without realizing it and are thankful for the help …show more content…

Going from one child to two is difficult. However they are also more knowledgeable about what works and what does not due to having practiced many different theories on the eldest child. Middle children know for a period of time what it’s like to be the youngest and it’s hard for them to figure out what their new role is in the family once the youngest comes along. They go from having half of the parent’s attention to getting one-third if the parents are able to give each child attention equally. Middle children, due to feeling out of place, often act out in attempts to get more attention. They are not the eldest so they don’t have as much freedom but they are also no longer the youngest and now have expectations and more responsibilities. Last-borns or “The baby” of the family never have to worry about

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