Birth Order and Susceptibility to Social Influence

Birth order is a commonly discussed topic inside the realms of psychological research. Many studies have been organized to show the differentiation of personality concerning birth order. Characteristics of a personality, absent of birth order, play a monumental role in how a person reacts to social influence. A principle examination will occur concerning the view of the first-born child in comparison to the later born child for the purpose of illustrating how their susceptibility differs from one another. A related yet separated analysis will be done encompassing the characteristics of personalities of the first-born individual, as well as the later born individual focusing on the Big Five Personality Dimensions.

An observation on the characteristics of an individuals’ personality suggests the causality in why they behave in the way that they do. Studies have shown that first-born individuals are more extraverted, conscientious, and neurotic than later born individuals (Herrera & Zajonc, 2003). First-born children tend to be more extraverted (Sulloway, 1999) and are more likely to boss and dominate their younger (Sulloway, 1999). The first-born subject pool is also more conscientious compared to subsequently birthed siblings. The pool is often more successful in academics, organized, responsible, and determined (Sulloway, 1999). The head of the present generations gene pool will sometimes look for the approval of their parents by acting as a “stand-in” parent toward their younger siblings (Sulloway, 1999). They have a tendency to be parent-identified, conscientious, and respectful of authority (Sulloway, 1999). Lastly, the group is shown to be more neurotic than the later born individual, in the sense of being temperamental and a...

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