-D.H. Sailor
Alfred Adler, a theorist, was one of the first to suggest that birth order plays a significant part in influencing ones' personality. He said that this can affect how a person handles love, work, and friendship.
First born children are said to be more mature because they have the responsibility to help their parents look after their younger siblings. Oldest girls tend to be more nurturing and better teachers for their younger siblings while oldest boys tend to be better models. Because the first born have the experience of having the undivided attention of their parents, they genuinely are the ones that feel the most rivalry over the second child being born. They don’t want to have to share their parents’ affections. This rivalry over attention gets smaller and smaller after the second is born because they already have to split the attention.
Many studies depict first born children as adult like, achievement-oriented, verbal and conservative. First born children are usually very successful because they tend to show strong leadership qualities. A high percentage of first born children have become scientists, professors, presidents and astronauts. More first born children have been finalists in the National Merit Scholarship tests than any other birth order.
Middle children are genuinely more sociable than the first born. As the first born looks to their parents for how to act, the middle children tend to look toward their peers. This makes them friendlier. They are also described as ambitious, rebellious, envious, less studious and better adjusted. They tend to take on less of their parental values to avoid competition with the first born. They also tend to have a lower self-esteem.
The youngest children turn to attention-seeking the most. Growing up they are usually less knowledgeable and weaker than their siblings so they feel the need to stand out in some way. They are a lot more outgoing than their older siblings and are usually better at socializing. They are also a lot more dependent on their older siblings for help and this deprives them of status/power and ends up lowering their self esteem.
I found that my family really doesn’t follow this at all. When I was doing my research, I actually laughed a couple of times while relating what the information said to what my brothers are actually like. I think that out of five, only two of my brothers are in the right spot according to what scientists have claimed.
