Preview

Birth Order and Its Efects on Personality

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1048 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Birth Order and Its Efects on Personality
Birth order Have you ever wondered why you and your siblings never get along, or why you are so different? I wondered the same thing until I read an article about birth orders effects on personality. This had to be why she had never spent an hour away from my parents and I haven't willingly been within thirty feet of them since I was six, Why I love to read well above my grade level and my sister, a sixth grader, reads mainly Captain Underpants books when not glued to the T.V. and why we are a similar as oil and water. Before I start explaining what birth order does I want clarify exactly what it is. When I said birth order I know at least one person, probably more thought of something similar to astrology. In some ways they are similar. They both group personalities and have a basis in science, but that's where the similarity stops. Birth order does not predict the future. Also, while birth orders facts are almost identical anywhere you look, I have found horoscopes where the methods used are so different that one source can say today's you lucky day while another source for that same day may say that you will be brutally murdered by a dark stranger. For those of you who are only children you often have to deal with the presumption that you are spoiled and self centered, this is shown to be true in many cases, but remember every birth order group has its share of annoying traits. On the good side only children tend to be very confident, have a good eye for detail, and are very often perfectionists. All of these traits, especially their confidence, contribute to the fact hat a handful of only children made it into the spotlight. People such as Robert DeNiro, Tommy Lee Jones, Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, and Sara Mitchell Gellar were only children. Those who, like me, are the eldest in their family share many traits with only children because we were once only children. We share traits such a confidence and our perfectionist

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I believe the study and awareness of a person’s birth order in the family can be useful information during certain researches. Everyone has a birth type, it is not shocking that many people have developed and understood theories regarding birth order and personality. Firstborn is the experimental child. They are held to a higher standard. They do not like surprises. They are natural leaders. Once in an interview Dr. Leman said “There’s not a firstborn living that hasn’t had their mom or dad say to them, I don’t care what she did, you are the oldest.”(Walcutt, 2009) Second born children are completely differently than the oldest. Middle children are usually secretive and often call themselves the black sheep of the family. The youngest child is very manipulative, outgoing, a people person. Younger children are often risk takers in life and are always up for a challenge. Only children are almost the same as first borns. Dr. Leman said they are little adults by the age of seven. An only child have downfalls, they do not get alone with other children their age very well, they rather be around older children or an adult that they can cling to. They do very well in life, and they become very successful in the career that they chose. Your birth order can regulate the type of person you become. Birth order research has a large focus on relation to intelligence and educational achievement. Some research in this area show that birth order effects are inextricably related to family size. Your birth order can have an impact on the type of person you are, what type of companion you feel comfortable with and which type of job you will have. No person is bound to certain traits just because of their placement. Each birth order had its own set of advantages and disadvantages. I am a middle child. I have an older sister, brother and two younger brothers. The two oldest were pretty close while we were growing up, and my two younger brothers are still close. I really was…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Firstly this essay will look at whether ‘only children’ display any difference in emotional and behavioural qualities to their counterparts with siblings. There have been many studies carried out to see if ‘only children’ exhibited different emotional and behavioural patterns to children with siblings. Falbo (1992) looked in to this, in an attempt to find out whether ‘only children’ where as emotionally stable as those children that had siblings. Falbo conducted a large number of studies and when collating the results found that only children scored higher than others on achievement, motivation and self-esteem. She also concluded that only children did not stand out from the crowd when looking at areas such as generosity, autonomy, anxiety and popularity. It was also found that only children were no more likely than others to get in to trouble at school. Another observation made by Falbo was that the home life of an only child was more likely to encourage intellectual activities, due to having an increased amount of…

    • 1486 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article, “Is Birth Order Destiny?” by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, explains that “The youngest child may feel less capable and experienced, and perhaps is a bit pampered by parents and even older sibs. As a result, the youngest may develop social skills that will get other people to do things for them, thus contributing to their image as charming and popular”, which reveals some of the characteristics of Oliver’s younger sister, Thea Queen. Actual birth order (the order a person was born in) may not have the same impact on a person’s personality as their psychological birth order (self-perceived position in family). Many factors including family size, age difference in siblings, and other outside factors could influence and change a person’s…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    econ extra credit

    • 2429 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Firstborn children, who are often surrogates for their parents as caregivers, teachers, and models, enjoy a greater status/power position in relationship to their younger siblings. This difference becomes more pronounced as the age gap increases for at least up to four years. In children's eyes, status/power is conferred most heavily on the eldest son (Furman and Buhremester, 1985). Older girls are more often good teachers and nurturers for younger children (Cirirelli, 1972). Older boys, on the other hand, tend to be better stimulators and models (Cirirelli, 1972). The oldest sibling feels…

    • 2429 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Psy 202 Assignment

    • 2088 Words
    • 9 Pages

    I think a lot of my mentality and the way I am today comes from being the oldest child. I was five years old and playing in a tree in my backyard in San Diego when I heard the news about my mom being in the hospital about to give birth. Eight agonizing hours of waiting in the hospital waiting room watching local news and consuming vending machine snacks later, I walked into the delivery room and saw…

    • 2088 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Birth Order Theory

    • 2359 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Parents treat children of different age and gender differently, which leads to the trends that birth order researcher have built their theories off. Generally, firstborns are viewed as ambitious, assertive, controlling, and reliable (Zupek). These characteristics are caused by being raised in an environment consisting of mostly adults. By being raised in an adult based environment, firstborns are viewed as “mini-adults.” Middle children tend to be peacemakers, negotiators, easy-going, and thrive on friendship (Zupek). Middle children possess these characteristics because they live in their older sibling’s shadow. Parents normally pay more attention to the high achieving oldest child or the baby of the family causing the middle child to feel left out or unwanted. Due to this lack of attention middle children tend to center their lives around friends and not family because their friends notice them and make them feel wanted. Lastborns are known to be charming, creative, self-centered, and manipulative (Zupek). By the last child, parents tend to have a more relaxed parenting style. The relaxed nature of the parents cause the rules to become flexible and less enforced. Lastborn children may take advantage of this by pushing the limit because they know their parents will look the other way. Also, lastborns may want and expect others to assist…

    • 2359 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Toddler Child Observation

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Siblings often serve as the first extended social interaction with other children (Venatsanou & Kambas, 2010). Children with siblings are found to have more opportunities for social interactions as well as more mature play partners, while only children may be less prepared to manage conflicts with their peers (Newman & Newman, 2015). Alfred Adler even took it one step further and theorized that birth order of siblings greatly influences how they see the world. The position one occupies in a family can impact how one interacts with others (Corey, 2013). Clearly, siblings can have a profound influence on the development of a…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Middle children have been observed to be understanding, cooperative, flexible, and competitive due to them receiving the least amount of attention. They also tend to be late bloomers and are more likely to have power positions due to their peacemaking nature. The youngest have the most freedom since the parents know what to expect. They have a lot in common with the oldest children, and most commonly have entertainment jobs since their parent/s were the most laid back and lenient with said last-born child. Only children tend to be more verbal of their opinions, and have a more mature nature due to growing up around adults. They also have been shown to be intelligent, resourceful, creative, and confident since they spend a lot of time alone. They also seem to share a lot of characteristics with the firstborns and youngestborns due to the amount of attention they receive growing up. (Gross, "The Achiever, the Peacemaker and the Life of the Party: How Birth Order Affects…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Birth order affects the human personality, mind and path of life from infancy through emerging adulthood. Depending on one 's placement, first, middle, or last, a lot can be understood. Dr. Kevin Leman, author of The Birth Order Book, says he could pick out an oldest child nine out of ten times by just looking at them. Often but not always, the characteristics of a person 's birth order match them very well. But this is not to say that there are not exceptions. No person is bound to certain traits just because of their placement. Yet in the psychological field, doctors are discovering more and more that most people connect remarkably to the behaviors of others in their same birth order. The first, middle and last child have characteristics that grow and develop due to their placement, and this shapes their personalities. Birth order cannot explain everything about the human mind and behavior, but it can give people a clue as to how environments are altered by the order of birth and contribute to personality in various ways.…

    • 2105 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first born is said to be the “leader” of the siblings. They are “natural leaders, ambitious, and responsible” (RealSimple.com). They tend to act as mini-parents to their younger siblings because they follow their parents’ example. They like taking charge and having control, not only in situations with siblings, but with peers, coworkers, and anyone else who they have to work on a project or complete a group task with. Most of the time, firstborns are taken seriously by adults,…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Only children don’t grow up with interaction, so they learn to be children on their own. Children, who have brothers and sisters, are raised among their siblings. They tend to compare with their playmates. When they have conversation, play games together, or solve problems, they can share their different opinions in order to learn how to cooperate with people. By the time they are growing up, elder siblings always can help parents to take care younger siblings. Younger siblings also can learn from older siblings because children are easier to…

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In my life, birth order doesn't actually affect me that much as "LWFC" does for Tita (I am the youngest), but it still has some negative effects. Firstly, I am expected to do more than my brother. Since my brother is the one doing my mistakes, my parents think I should be able to learn from them and move on. This is probably the worst part of being the youngest, as it forces me to be better than someone who is already pretty well-behaved. Next, I am also given hand-me down and am not allowed to waste them. Instead of being able to buy my own clothes, my parents believe I should help save up by wearing my brother's. This doesn't really allow me to wear what I want. In conclusion, for me, being the youngest isn't really…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Your birth order affects the direction of your life greatly, determining where you are in the social construct of the world. At home, your birth order plays an obvious role in how your treated, but it also affects what generation you're born into. At home, being the youngest means I am always babied, but on a lighter note, I am also always spoiled. In real life though, the fact I was born in 1999, meant that the friends that I have today came because of that. If I were a year older or younger, I probably wouldn't be friends with who I am today. Because of my birth order, I'm who I am- and that's not necessarily a bad…

    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Most siblings have a lot of things in common, like face, hair style, and color skin. However, my sister and I are very different from each other. Although we were born as twins, we still differ in many ways. Once people get to know us they realize that we are very different in personalities and hobbies. I have often wondered how we ended up so different.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the biggest benefits of being the oldest kid in your family is the extra attention one receives. While the youngest child…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays