Born To Rebel: Birth Order

When a child is born they are put in a certain position in the family whether that is the first child, middle child, last child or only child. A child’s position in their family greatly affects their behavior and personality characteristics (Morales, 1994). This idea is known as birth order theory. The theory was created by Alfred Adler in the early 1900’s. Adler was a physician who founded Adlerian psychology, also known as individual psychology (Alfred Adler: Short Biography and Explanation of Theories, n.d.). Adler and other sociologists have studied birth order effects on intelligence, achievements, and personality (Freese, 1999). Frank Sulloway researched the topic and wrote a book called Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics,

Sulloway’s book focuses on birth order and how it affects personalities: “[Sulloway] postulates that children have an innate tendency to develop the attitudes and personalities best-suited for maximizing the resources that they get from their parents” (Freese, 1999). The youngest child will act different than the oldest child. A child needs resources from their parents whether it be attention or materialistic objects. Depending on the child’s birth order, their personality and behavior will change to be the most beneficial to them. Birth order has influenced parent’s discipline patterns, college funding, leadership qualities, and social habits (Freese, 1999).Birth order shows that even though siblings are a part of the same family, they can be raised

Oldest children have been observed being hostile towards younger siblings because they are anxious, envious, or fearful they will be surpassed by their siblings (Morales, 1994). This might explain some of the sibling rivalry at a young age. Alder explained the effect this has on the oldest child: “this "dethronement" causes firstborns to try to imitate their parents, to identify more strongly with rules and authority, and too often become power-hungry conservatives” (Freese, 1999). The oldest child wants to be their parent’s favorite child and to do so they accept their parent’s ideas. The first-born wants to impress their parents by becoming miniature versions of