The Effect of Birth Order on Personality

It may surprise you to learn that the order in which you were born can have a major effect on your personality. Recent studies have shown that whether you were the oldest, middle, youngest or even the only child in your family can greatly influence how you see the world, how you expect the world to treat you, how you treat others and also how others see and treat you. Psychologist Alfred Adler was one of the first to theorize the importance of birth order in determining personality characteristics (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Some researchers believe birth order is as important as gender and almost as important as genetics in its effect on personality (Gross, 2013). The oldest child is frequently a perfectionist, the middle child often feels forgotten, and the youngest seeks attention as the baby of the family. As a result, birth order is a powerful variable in the unfolding of your personality (Gross, 2013).
The oldest child has all of their parents’ attention until the next sibling is born. The parents may be more controlling and protective of this child, while also making the most mistakes. They tend to expect more from the oldest than from any of their other children. First born children are often expected to “set a good example” for their younger siblings and to help their parents take care of the younger children. All of this tends to make the oldest very responsible, perfectionistic, and nurturing. They are also more likely to be seen as “natural born leaders” and to seek out careers which require strong leadership skills such as CEOs, politicians, and astronauts. More than half of all US presidents were first born children while twenty one out of twenty three of America’s first astronauts were also first born children (S...

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... tends to be more like an only child and exemplifies those qualities. It is very interesting to think that something that we have no control over, like the order in which we were born, could have such a tremendous effect on our personality.

Works Cited

Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research (5th ed.). Boston, MA, US: Pearson. Retrieved May 7, 2014
Gross, D. G. (2013, December 23). The Achiever, the Peacemaker and the Life of the Party: How Birth Order Affects Personality. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gail-gross/how-birth-order-affects-personality_b_4494385.html
Smith, E. E. (2013, February 13). Taking the Birth Order Quiz. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/not-born-yesterday/201302/taking-the-birth-order-quiz