Birth Order Theory

Patterns are a part of everyday life. Most people wake up at the same time, have a set morning routine, and follow many other patterns throughout their day. Structure and control are a common goal in people’s life, but many probably do not realize that their personality can be predicted because it follows a pattern. Over years of observation and research, a theory to predict a person’s personality, intelligence, success, career, and many other variables has surfaced called birth order. Birth order is used to understand why people act the way they do. The order children are born in their family does not matter, but the environment they develop in does and this observation is what birth order is based on (Leman 143). Many different personalities
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
After an age gap of five years or more a “new family" is formed. For instance, a child born five years after an older sibling will possibly act like a firstborn child. The child born after a five year gap has more older role models such as his or her parents and siblings. By having the extra role models in his or her life the child will have the tendency to act like a “mini-adult.” Also, age spacing factors into the amount of competition between siblings (Ratledge). The ideal gap between children is three to four years because they are still close in age, but far enough apart they have room to be themselves. The closer together siblings are born, the higher chance competition will exist, but gender plays a factor in competition too. The first child of the opposite gender to be born into a family can take on a role that is already filled. For example, a couple has three boys and then a baby sister comes along. The gender difference causes the baby girl to be special. The girl is already distinctly different from the other children in the family due to the gender difference. The same role may be filled without competition because the children are already different from one another, so the new baby girl does not have to worry about living in the older sibling’s shadow (Ratledge). The girl may cause pressure for the children directly above and below her because she is “special.” Age spacing and gender overlap when