The Effects of Birth Order on Personality

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The oldest child is authoritative and driven, the youngest gets treated like a baby and can never do anything wrong, and the middle child is exactly what the name suggests - stuck in the middle. Is there some actual truth behind the differences in personality in regards to birth order? Or are they just stereotypes? There are many different factors that come down to why birth order has such a big effect. Some of these factors include time, money, and attention. Usually with big families, parental resources are spread very thin, so the younger children get less attention than the older children with the exception of the last child. Although I feel that birth order is not the only deciding factor of personality, I do feel that it can play a major role in shaping a child’s personality. The typical personality of the oldest child is driven, authoritative, and stubborn. Typically, parents are able to put all of their time, attention, and money into the first child because there is only one of them to take care of and support. In return, this means that the child was always held accountable for mistakes, taught how to do tasks the right way, and given countless hours of attention/love in order to boost their confidence and raise them “right.” As families grow, parents tend to use their firstborns as role models for their younger siblings, which can be a lot of pressure. In addition, the oldest child is typically held accountable for more chores and responsibilities because their parents are spread so thin. For example, many older siblings are responsible for babysitting their younger brothers and sisters, so that their parents can go grocery shopping or pay bills. In return, this lack of time, attention, and love not only shapes the fi... ... middle of paper ... ...and parents. In my opinion, I feel that birth order is a huge contributing factor to personality, but I also feel that it works together with several other factors in order to shape one’s personality. Overall, I have found that there is some slight truth to stereotypes, but one’s personality can be shaped by many other factors. Some of those factors include the time, money, and attention that their parents put into raising them. As a family grows in size, it causes the parental resources to become extremely thin, which plays a part in shaping each of the children’s personalities. Individuals are different and it is possible for their personalities to deviate from the above examples, but for the most part I feel that birth order plays the biggest role in shaping one’s personality and that children’s personalities are somewhat similar to the ones listed above.

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