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Birth Order and Personality

An essay on whether birth order and personality are connected.

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12 views4 pages

Birth Order and Personality

An essay on whether birth order and personality are connected.

Uploaded by

vo88291
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Birth Order and Personality

Vanessa Oliveira

College of Humanities and Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University

Intro to Psychology

Professor Gozu

October 16, 2024

Birth Order and Personality

The concept of birth order and the effects it has on children's development and

personality has long been observed. Alfred Adler, a psychiatrist from the early 20th century,

believed that the order a child was born in could shape their personality. Further explained,

“According to Albert (Citation 1980), birth order is both a structural and a processional variable.

It determines which family dynamics, interests, and values will be directed toward the child, for

how long, and at what levels of intensity” (Alabbasi et al., 2021). As emphasized, the order in

which a child is born can alter the personality they develop. There are many different researchers

that have added their take to the topic but Adler pushed the theory the most. One example is that

firstborns are more responsible since they have to take care of their younger siblings.

Personal Reflection

I was born the youngest child with one older sister. My sister, although older, struggled in

school and was generally troublesome. My parents gave her more attention so that they could
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keep an eye on her. This meant that I often had to take care of myself and be responsible on my

own. It also meant taking care of my sister or keeping an eye on her when my parents weren't

home. I remember one instance in which my sister was planning to run away from home. I

lectured her that it was a ridiculous idea and allowed her to vent why she felt she needed to. She

didn't run away but instead thanked me for advising her better. This sort of dynamic went to

many parts of my life. I often felt upset because despite all this, I was still treated like a younger

sibling. My sister was allowed to stay up later and go out with her friends while I told that I was

too young.

Comparison with Theories

According to psychological theories, “Younger children are supposedly pampered and

protected but feel inferior because they are not allowed the freedom and responsibility of older

children” (Ciccarelli & White, 2016, p.552). The lack of freedom was definitely something I felt

and frequently got annoyed by as a child. My sister was allowed to stay up and I would get upset

when I needed to go to sleep early. I was never pampered but rather pushed to be mature at a

younger age. This is a common trait among older siblings that often have to become second

parents to their siblings. A researcher points out, “Firstborns try to please their parents by acting

as surrogate parents for their siblings, a behavior that can increase conscientiousness” (Egloff et

al., 2015, p.1). This discrepancy comes from my sister being so rebellious and troublesome.

Since I was not provided with an ordinary older sister, I needed to take over that role. My parents

couldn't depend on her to help me, so I helped myself as well as her.

Impact on Relationships. Due to being the youngest I was often looked down upon or

left out of family matters. My parents did not tell me things they told my sister because it was for

“adults”. However, like stated previously, I had a very independent and responsible personality
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growing up due to my circumstances. This meant that I did things on my own and never asked

my family for help. I was always willing to help others and aid them with their issues, but never

accepted help. When it comes to friends I often find myself being a caregiver and giving advice.

I enjoy taking care of them the same way I did with my sister. For colleagues it is essentially the

same but once again I find myself being independent and completing tasks on my own even

when offered help. This can be troublesome since sometimes help would be better. Patterns

within these relationships are my independence and caring nature but resistance to accepting

help.

Cultural and Environmental Factors. My family dynamic is very different from a

typical one. This meant that because my sister was a lot to handle, as a younger sibling I needed

to step up. This is not typical but I developed this way due to my specific environment. Cultural

aspects can affect the relationship between birth order and personality as some countries expect

more of older siblings. However, this all depends on the family and how they function. Due to

the different dynamics of mine, culture did not matter for us but the environment heavily did. To

conclude, birth order can affect a person's personality but there are many factors that can

contribute to this!

References

Alabbasi, A. M., Tadik, H., Acar, S., & Runco, M. (2020). Birth order and divergent thinking: A

meta-analysis. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/dh87j
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Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, N. J. (2016, October 3). Psychology (Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland

Wh... (Z-library).pdf. Google Docs.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L73LNasw6IGRUx-PT7YWxvHrUIms8Mn_/view

Rohrer, J. M., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2015). Examining the effects of birth order on

personality. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2704310

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