Birth Order Research
According to the Adolescence book, “Approximately 80 percent of American adolescents have one or more siblings—that is, sisters and brothers” (Santrock, 2014, p. 281). The study of birth order is important because the majority of people have siblings or know someone that does. Although the evidence for the affects vary, but birth order studies can help people understand a little bit about the similarities and differences between siblings and how to address them. The family that a person is born into and when they enter that family can influence how that person grows up and live their life. Birth order can influence personality, intelligence, friendships, and sexuality.
In contrast to the actual studies being done, there is different opinion …show more content…
According to the study by Petter Kristensen and Tor Bjerkedal (2007), “The interest in the relation between birth order and intelligence dates back to Sir Francis Galton’s English Men of Science” (p. 1717). Galton found that there were more first born scientist in England (Rohrer, Egloff, & Schmuckle, 2015). Galton’s discovery was an interesting find and the start to the multiple studies on the influence of birth order on several topics.
Another notable psychologist that contributed to this topic is Alfred Adler. His studies showed that “First-borns were privileged, but also burdened by feelings of excessive responsibility and a fear of dethronement and were thus prone to score high on neuroticism. Conversely, he expected later-borns, overindulged by their parents, to lack social empathy (Rohrer et al., 2015, 14224). Most of the research that has been done recently is based on both Galton’s and Adler’s studies.
One topic that has been studied is the correlation between birth order and personality traits. There have been several studies on this topic and some have come to contradicting results. For example, a study conducted by D. L. Paulhus (2008) found that “first-borns are the most intelligent, achieving, and conscientious, while later-borns are the most rebellious, liberal, and agreeable” (Santrock, 2014, p. 282). However, the differences between siblings in these studies are often very small and can lead to some
In contrast to the actual studies being done, there is different opinion …show more content…
According to the study by Petter Kristensen and Tor Bjerkedal (2007), “The interest in the relation between birth order and intelligence dates back to Sir Francis Galton’s English Men of Science” (p. 1717). Galton found that there were more first born scientist in England (Rohrer, Egloff, & Schmuckle, 2015). Galton’s discovery was an interesting find and the start to the multiple studies on the influence of birth order on several topics.
Another notable psychologist that contributed to this topic is Alfred Adler. His studies showed that “First-borns were privileged, but also burdened by feelings of excessive responsibility and a fear of dethronement and were thus prone to score high on neuroticism. Conversely, he expected later-borns, overindulged by their parents, to lack social empathy (Rohrer et al., 2015, 14224). Most of the research that has been done recently is based on both Galton’s and Adler’s studies.
One topic that has been studied is the correlation between birth order and personality traits. There have been several studies on this topic and some have come to contradicting results. For example, a study conducted by D. L. Paulhus (2008) found that “first-borns are the most intelligent, achieving, and conscientious, while later-borns are the most rebellious, liberal, and agreeable” (Santrock, 2014, p. 282). However, the differences between siblings in these studies are often very small and can lead to some