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Large-scale studies on the effect of birth order on personality characteristics A) have found that first-born children are more conservative and confo...
Large-scale studies on the effect of birth order on personality characteristics A) have found that first-born children are more conservative and confo...
Reflection on birth order
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WHAT I KNEW: Growing up I always knew I was inferior to my older brother. I’m the second and last born and they never let me forget it. It wasn’t until this year that there was an actual name for how I felt I was treated. The second child born is usually the rebellious one and in this case; that’s me. I felt that I was very much impacted by my birthing order. I wanted to learn more about why I was the inferior one. Sibling rivalries are a given, but there is so much that derives from the order you were born in. Whether you are the first born, second born, middle child, or 10 years apart from another sibling. Every middle/ second/ third child has heard the phrase; Why can’t you be like your older sibling? I can only remember so many times that this has happened to me. In one specific situation I was given back a report card that was rather disappointing. I was looked straight …show more content…
Author of The Favorite Child: How a Favorite Impacts Every Family Member for Life., Dr. Ellen Libby, expresses her concern. She believes that in a family, one child is the favorite, either the first or last born. “They’re more likely to be depressed because they spent so much of their lives trying to court parental favor that they may not have developed their own personality.” Dr. Libby also explains how often parents are unable to accept that this occurs in their household. “When parents deny its existence, they are less able to pay attention to the more important concern of how their children experience favoritism. The more unaware parents are of their own displays of favoring one child, or overlooking or neglecting another, the more unable parents are to grasping the impact of favoritism on their children.” This favoritism can manifest in many ways. The disfavored children may become more depressed, have greater aggressiveness, lower self-esteem, and poorer academic
Arthur was the first born just as I was, except he was the first and only while I on the other hand have three siblings. We were both born into extremely loving and caring families. Arthur was raised by extremely strict parents and was not even allowed to go out after school or hang out with friends as I do occasionally. His father just like my parents set goals for self-reliance, discipline and responsibility. Because of those goals Arthur began to take great pride in his reputation. I also feel as if I’m always being judged. We have both been called “quiet” people but Arthur eventually grows out of that and my parents tell me I’m beginning to do the same. Both of our parents, to our displeasure, force us to do our numerous chores before anything else. The difference lies within the punishment for disobeying our parents wishes. The so called “beatings” that Arthur received in his time were nothing unordinary yet if those beatings were to occur today they would be seen as wrong and inhumane.
One of the greatest influences on a person lis their family. For the duration of a person’s childhood, the majority of time is spent with family members. A family sustains a child’s livelihood and they work to determine how a child will mature in the hope of sustaining a successful future. Over this period, family members’ opinions and views wear off on the individual, causing a change in perception.
The Ainsworth article refers that if several caregivers are involved, and the attachment to the mother is weak or strained, the child may show favoritism towa...
Without the results of studies done on the birth order, by people like Jeffery Kluger, the power of birth order would remain a mystery to us and we would not have as deep of an understanding of siblings. While there is still much about the workings of oldest, youngest, and middle children that we have not yet discovered, the studies conducted on birth order so far have enlightened many parents on how their children’s relationships work. However, while scientists have unraveled many mysteries about the birth order, the constant variables presented to scientists as they study the birth order does hinder the progress of their research, but there is always a hope that someday scientists will be able to completely understand the impact and function of the birth order in sibling’s
‘Birth order theory can help explain why children raised in the same family environment with a strong genetic relationship can have such different personalities’ (Drysdale, 2011). The birth order theory says that ‘first-borns are leaders, the drivers and the responsible type. They love to feel in control and feel uncomfortable with surprises or feeling out of their depth. They are conservative in their outlook’ (Grose, 2013). The personality theory says that last-borns are majorly different to first-borns in their characteristics and traits. It states that last-borns are ‘the
Although, parents try to be fair there are always subtle differences picked up by the children, whether one is preferred better over the other sibling. These occurrences are known as parents picking favorites. Of course, every mother loves her children equally, but tends to favor one over the other simply because he or she is older, smarter, holds more responsibility, or just better behaved than the others, the reason being always varies. Every sibling is different, each with his or her unique personalities and ways of expression. “I did something I never done before: I hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of (Dee) Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap. Maggie just sat there on my bed with her mouth open.” (Walker, Everyday Use) In the previous excerpt from the story Mama, in a sense, picked a favorite daughter out of the two. In this case, it was Maggie when deciding who should have the quilts. In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Walker describes her two daughters. Maggie and Dee are sisters. Throughout the short story, Walker reveals the two sister’s differences in character and personalities through the use of language (words) and actions as the story develops. The reader learns more about each sister through the mother’s words.
No matter what, people form thousands of relationships to get through the ups and downs in life. To be frank, life would be pretty dull and empty without relationships. One of the most important relationships is the one that people form with their parents (Perry). Early family relationships are the foundation for adult relationships and a child’s personality (Perry; Greenberg). Alicia Lieberman, a psychology professor, said “The foundation for how a child feels about himself and the world is how he feels in his relationship with the primary caregiver” (Greenberg). According to Erik Erikson and the attachment theory, the bond between a caregiver and child has a huge impact on a child’s development because of social and emotional effects.
Does birth order really affect who we are? Sigmund Freud was the first psychotherapist to say, " a child's position in the sequence of brother and sisters is of very great significance for one course of his later life." The type of person that we become stems from many things including birth order position, gender and the genders of the other siblings. Although personality is affected by many different factors, such as heredity, family size, the spacing and the gender of other siblings, education and upbringing, birth order plays a very important role and gives many clues as to why people are the was they are. Dr. Alfred Adler, a renowned psychiatrist, wrote that a person's position in the family leaves an undeniable "stamp" on his or her "style of living."
Families are the essential building blocks of the relationships we form in the later years of our lives. If we are given unconditional love by those we hold most dear, we learn to trust in others and their love for us. However, if we do not receive the appropriate attention, we may grow to believe that we are incapable of either being loved or loving others. These kinds of proceedings in a household may lead a child to a lifetime of troubling consequences. Just as important as the relationship they hold with us is the relationship between the mother and father that we grow up observing. Parents should maintain a healthy relationship in order to prevent their children from forming a skewed image of love and trust.
The silence I was left with was oppressive in which the only thing left to reflect upon is the fact my triplet brother and sister were better than me. Yes, I am a triplet, and although I was the first born I always felt last academically and socially. It was this "competition" that drove me to give up and play video games to escape having to compete. And in my pondering, I couldn't stop myself from beginning to cry after imagining myself sitting in the same seat, in the cold auditorium years later, watching my brother and sister receive the praise from my parents which I so desired but at the same time I did not desire to earn it. I urged myself to stop crying, the last thing I needed to associate with was "big baby" on top of "worst triplet.”
Erikson believes that during this stage, children will seek approval from others by displaying skills that are valued by others. Additionally, he believes that if this initiative continues, the child will develop confidence in their ability to achieve their goals. During the first few stages of both theories, we see challenges in the development of the child and we also see challenges that a child might face during some, if not all, forms of attachment theory. For example, a parent ignoring the child and speaking to them in a negative manner during insecure-avoidant attachment can be challenging for a child and lead to insecurities and the feeling of not being loved and/or wanted.
There are so many deciding factors that go into birth order that must be considered to completely understand why someone is the way that they are. A lot of it goes back to the parents and how they treat their child or children growing up, but in what order you were born in causes the parents to treat the child how they do.
The “rejecting” parent is cold and overly critical, while the “neglecting” parent advances little to no warmth and fails to provide for the child’s basic needs. The final style of parenting was called “Acceptance of the Child” and was subcategorized as well. The subcategory of “casual acceptance” indicated a parent who has limited rules, is indulgent, and somewhat accepting of their offspring. The subcategory of “loving acceptance” pointed to parents who are warm, loving, and happy to be of help to their offspring. All of these parenting styles and their results were primarily based on Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”.
I have had the luck of being the oldest of my mothers’ seven children, and the pleasure of having three of my own, and one step-son. I’ve spent a lot of time changing diapers, wiping noses, and kissing ouchies. I’ve carried babies on my hip that I’ve seen off to kindergarten, helped dressed for the first school dance, attended their graduation, and even been there when they have had their first baby. I have spent a lot of time analyzing their behavior, moods, or lack thereof. I’ve concluded that there are 4 types of children, I have been blessed with one of each. The 4 different types are: The Superstar, The Kool Kat, The Lil’ Mama or Little Man (depending on the sex of the child), and The Rebel.
There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it.