Does Birth Order Affect Personality Development?

Step-Siblings

The blending of families can create a whole new dynamic in pre-established family hierarchies. Even though the foundations of a person identity is established between the ages of three and six years old, making them unlikely to fundamentally change, they may be enhanced or embellished by these changes. An example of this would be a man with a seven and nine year old who marries a woman with a ten year old. The nine year old (former first born) and the ten year old (former only child) will now ferociously compete for the first born position and as a result their respective characteristics are likely to become more noticeable. The youngest child will most likely become even more typically a last born. When children’s birth order positions become unclear, they are likely to become more assertive, sometimes even aggressive, regardless of their age (Blair, 2011, p. 147-148).

Disabled or Special Needs Children

If a child has a disability he/she usually will need extra care and attention from the parents and in a way they may become a “functional last born” (Blair, 2011, p. 127). However, these children are more greatly affected by the symptoms of their particular disability, the way they are cared for, and the attitudes of their parents or caregivers towards their disability than their birth order. For example, a last born child who was born with autism and Asperger’s syndrome most like does not want to be the center attention and instead prefers as little social interaction as possible, unlike other last borns (Blair, 2011, p. 127).

The siblings of a disables child will most likely be strongly effected by them. They are highly likely to be caring, nurturing individuals much like first borns are regardless of their birth ...

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...ot impossible to change like whether a person is an introvert or extrovert, and impulsive or reflective.

All these things together are what help create who we are and why we are the way we are. Birth Order Theory does have merits to it; however, it is only part of the story. Even Adler, the father of this theory, said “ [i]t is not, of course, the child’s number in the order of successive births which influences his characters, but the situation into which he is born and the way in which he interprets it” (Ansbacher, 1956, p. 377).

Works Cited

Ansbacher, H., & Ansbacher, R. (Eds.). (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A

Systematic Presentation in Selections From His Writings. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Basic

Books, Inc.

Blair, L. (2011). Birth Order: What Your Position in the Family Really Tells You About Your

Character. London, UK: Piatkus.