The Patterns of Birth Order

The patterns of birth order have been seen for centuries, although it was not studied exclusively until around the 1980s. There are many factors that play into a persons personality, such as their genetics, the way they are raised, and their environment. Birth order looks at a persons place in their family—if they are the oldest, middle, or youngest child—and provides commonalities between them and others in the same location in other families. While there are many variations, the general traits do apply. Research shows that the first born is typically a leader in the family and in other areas of life. The youngest child is usually light hearted and social. The one that is hardest to put a type to is the middle child. He or she will frequently try to blaze their own path, straying from the one that their older sibling made. I believe that birth order plays a part in a person’s personality, but that the way they were raised is also a very important variable. A child’s birth order, along with the way they were raised, is a major factor in the way they interact within their family and other groups.
The way one determines their place in the family seems like it should be easy, but because of many factors, it is not always clear. In a family with a first born daughter and a second born son, the son may also take on characteristics of a first born because he is the first born male. The same concept is applied when the female is born after a male. Another variable is the difference in age between children. If the younger child is five or more years younger than the child born before them, they are more likely to act as a first born or only child, depending if they have any younger siblings. An only child will have the same characteristi...

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