Chapter Seven And Eight In The Book HDEV: Human Development

I greatly enjoyed reading chapters seven and eight in the textbook HDEV: Human Development. I was intrigued by many of the topics, although one in particular had a personal connection. Being an only child, I found the concept of Social Behaviors, specifically birth order, to be of interest. In the text, Rathus stated “Firstborn and only children appear to perform better academically and are more cooperative” (Rathus, 2015). Throughout my school years, especially high school and college, I have always been highly motivated to achieve high grades. In high school I was a high honors student and currently carry a 4.0 GPA in college.
Rathus stated in the text, “On the negative side, firstborn and only children show somewhat greater anxiety levels and are somewhat less self-reliant than later-born children” (Rathus, 2015). When it comes to greater anxiety levels, I, like many other people, experience occasional anxiety. However, I am not sure if I would be considered to have a greater anxiety lever. I find that I do easily get “worked-up” about certain things, but I am unsure if this is due to anxiety or passion
Are there any delays with certain social behavioral development due to the lack of an older sibling to observe or interact with? Have there been any cases where social behavior of the older sibling and the younger sibling has been switched? Why does the social behavior of younger siblings develop differently when we learn so much through observation and experience? If the parents use the same techniques with both children and show equal attention, would we still see different developments of social behavior? In a situation where a family has twins, do they see the same type of social behavior developments between older and younger twins? Does the slight time difference in birth have any effect on social behavior