Birth Order Affecting Relationships

1064 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Large-scale studies on the effect of birth order on personality characteristics A) have found that first-born children are more conservative and conforming than later-born children

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... ... middle of paper ... ...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.

Show More
Related

  • The Power Of Birth Order By Jeffery Kluger

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Without the results of studies done on the birth order, by people like Jeffery Kluger, the power of birth order would remain a mystery to us and we would not have as deep of an understanding of siblings. While there is still much about the workings of oldest, youngest, and middle children that we have not yet discovered, the studies conducted on birth order so far have enlightened many parents on how their children’s relationships work. However, while scientists have unraveled many mysteries about the birth order, the constant variables presented to scientists as they study the birth order does hinder the progress of their research, but there is always a hope that someday scientists will be able to completely understand the impact and function of the birth order in sibling’s

    Read More

  • Alfred Adler's Treatment Plan

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alfred Adler also developed the birth order theory. Under this theory Adler expresses his belief that children’s personalities develop certain characteristics depending on the order of their birth (Schustack, 2012). According to this theory, first

    Read More

  • Birth Order Theory Essay

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘Birth order theory can help explain why children raised in the same family environment with a strong genetic relationship can have such different personalities’ (Drysdale, 2011). The birth order theory says that ‘first-borns are leaders, the drivers and the responsible type. They love to feel in control and feel uncomfortable with surprises or feeling out of their depth. They are conservative in their outlook’ (Grose, 2013). The personality theory says that last-borns are majorly different to first-borns in their characteristics and traits. It states that last-borns are ‘the

    Read More

  • Adler's Birth Order: An Examination of Life Perception

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Adler’s birth order rings true for many people. As I was reading over the different birth orders, I started thinking of different family members and friends. I wanted to see how they measured up to Adler’s concept of birth order. I found myself stereotyping my friends and family, which is hard

    Read More

  • The Effect of Birth Order on Who We Are

    1555 Words  | 4 Pages

    Does birth order really affect who we are? Sigmund Freud was the first psychotherapist to say, " a child's position in the sequence of brother and sisters is of very great significance for one course of his later life." The type of person that we become stems from many things including birth order position, gender and the genders of the other siblings. Although personality is affected by many different factors, such as heredity, family size, the spacing and the gender of other siblings, education and upbringing, birth order plays a very important role and gives many clues as to why people are the was they are. Dr. Alfred Adler, a renowned psychiatrist, wrote that a person's position in the family leaves an undeniable "stamp" on his or her "style of living."

    Read More

  • The Effects of Birth Order on the Personality of an Individual

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wallace, Meri. Birth Order Blues: How parents can help their children meet the challenges of birth order. Owl Books. New York, New York. 1999

    Read More

  • The Patterns of Birth Order

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sibling Order Stereotypes

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    Growing up in my family I was the first born of two children. For me this meant that I was the ultimate guinea pig for my parents, and therefore how I was raised was much different from how my younger brother was raised. I notice, now that I am older, there were many differences on the parenting techniques that were used to raise us both as individuals. Ultimately this caused my brother and I to be totally opposites. To this day I feel like birth order plays a large role in my family, and sometimes it is hard to watch my brother get of easy when I am living a more difficult life.

    Read More

  • Birth Order Influence Personality

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many factors can shape a persons a personality, it could be their environment, peers, family, siblings, but one wouldn’t think that their birth order can too. The last factor will be the one topic I will be getting into more depth in this essay. Either being born first or last it will have a huge impact on your personality (Parents magazine 2006). The first to introduce the theory of the impact birth order has on personality was psychologist Alfred Adler in the early 20th century. This started a new interest in many on this research (Lesley Ogden 2013). His theory suggest the common personality traits each first, middle, and last borns have. Let me start off with the first born of the family and work my way down. The first born is the child the family “practices” on you could say. First time parents have no experience on parenting, and they want to try their best on raising a good child which causes them to be stricter. This causes them to put more pressure on the first borns to do better at everything they do. Which can make them become perfectionists and high achievers. But they want to be noticed and praised by their parents when they do well. This too however develops them to become leaders, especially if they have siblings their parents want them to set an example for (Brooks 1984). Independence, reliability, and respect for authority are other traits that this group may has. They are highly intelligent and get high qualifications in school. They can also be serious and very mature for their age. Because of this nature, this group tends to get along really well with their elders. The pressure of carrying responsibilities (and at times even being forced upon) at an early age can bring negative factors. For the reason that it c...

    Read More

  • Birth Order

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are too many factors that shape a person than someone could count. However, according to many recent studies, birth order has the most to do with personality. It could make a person bold and cheerful, or shy. As I am a middle child, the attributes that describe me the best are that I am easygoing and very social. My own personal opinion is birth order doesn’t have very much to do with personality. Factors like the people they hang out with and the environment they live in have more to do with it.

    Read More

  • Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun - Mama as the Ideal Mother

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    One cannot raise a child without mutual respect. Emotion and anxiety must drive her instincts. Her ability to foster is only heightened by personal imperfections and overwhelming responsibility that lead to a lack of confidence. Yet the prevailing characteristic that separates a ‘birth giver’ from a ‘mother’ is the unconditional, undying, and at times underestimated love for her child. To be a mother in the purest sense, she must embrace this notion of nurture.

    Read More

  • How Birth Order Affects Personality

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Birth order affects everything from personality and character traits to future relationships and career choices. The difference in birth order combined with how parents treat their causes the children to grow and develop differently from the siblings they may or may not have (Voo, Jocelyn). Family is the greatest influence on children growing up, and in what order they were born determines how their family treats them (Leman, Kevin). There are many contributing factors that cause children to grow up and become who they are, but birth order is considered to be one of the most crucial (Gross, Dr. Gail).

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Erikson And Piaget's Theory Of Cognitive Development

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erikson believes that during this stage, children will seek approval from others by displaying skills that are valued by others. Additionally, he believes that if this initiative continues, the child will develop confidence in their ability to achieve their goals. During the first few stages of both theories, we see challenges in the development of the child and we also see challenges that a child might face during some, if not all, forms of attachment theory. For example, a parent ignoring the child and speaking to them in a negative manner during insecure-avoidant attachment can be challenging for a child and lead to insecurities and the feeling of not being loved and/or wanted.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Being an Only Child on the Child's Personality

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sulloway, F. J. (September 1997). Birth order and personality. Harvard Mental Health Letter, 14, 5-7

    Read More

  • Alfred Adler's Theory Of Birth Order Theory

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    A first-born has their parents’ attention. That is until a younger sibling comes along. they then receive a shock that they are not in control of the house. The first-born now have to wait for attention, be quiet, and take turns. There are ways for first-born to regain power. Parents often expect the first-born to help care for the younger children. This gives them an advantage over younger. They learn to organize, be conscientious, to lead, to teach and they get to be the disciplinarian. Studies done on birth order show that first borns have “higher achievement” and “higher intelligence” “ score lower depression and anxiety and higher self-esteem” and “were more likely to become accountants,

    Read More

More about Birth Order Affecting Relationships

Open Document