Every angle of life is affected by birth order, and birth order affects people. If life is a play, then birth order holds the leading role. From the first to last breath taken, birth order is playing a huge part in one’s life. People would not be themselves if personalities were not unique to every individual. Birth order affects relationships, among other things such as: career, personality, strengths, weaknesses, and almost every aspect of one’s life.
Birth order is defined as being the chronological order of sibling births in a family. There is five ways to classify birth order: first, second, middle, last, and only children. Treatment plays a large role in how strong the birth order effect is. If out of multiple sons, a daughter is born, even if she is a middle child she will be treated at a first born, because she is the only girl. Age gap is also a major factor affecting birth order. Large age gaps result in birth order starting over (Birth Order, pg. 1-3). Referring to birth order, Dr. Hartstein, a psychologist says, “It’s been researched since the 1920s, and they really have found that over time the things that they have found stay the same and are proven to be honest and true representations of people (1).” A child’s growth and personality are greatly affected by birth order and the effects will be carried into adulthood (Birth Order, pg.1).
Anticipation is the best way to describe how parents feel when their firstborn is on the way. Firstborns expect perfection from themselves and everyone else. They are jealous, defensive, dominant and ambitious (The Birth Order Effect, pg. 4). Hartstein says, “The thing we have to think about older children is they’re prone to anxiety(2).” Driven by achievement, first b...
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...ow? They’re too dependent on one another.”
Seeing how birth order affects people, it is easy to clearly see how birth order affects relationships. Relationships have many factors affecting them, but birth order is major. There are specific birth positions that pair better together than others. Birth order can have positive or negative effects on everything. When paired correctly, relationships can be much stronger as a result of birth order. When pair incorrectly, birth order can tear a relationship apart.
Works Cited
"The Birth Order Effect." Psychologies Mar. 2014: 1+. Web.
"Children's Health." Birth Order. Encyclopedia of Children's Health, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"How Does Birth Order Affect Relationships?" Woman's Day. N.p., n.d. Web. Spring 2014.
"Does Birth Order Make or Break a Relationship?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
