Birth Order Effects

Birth Order Effects

Ann Fowler

What is birth order??

• Alfred Adler was one of the first 1st theorist to suggest that birth order influences personality

• It is the chronological order of the sibling births in a family.

• First born, middle child or children, last born, and only children.

Research shows that a person’s birth order has a direct link with his or her

personality

How??

Interactions with parents and siblings associated with being in a particular position in the

family.

First Born Children(Presidents)

• These children are the one with the most attention directed at him/her.

• Partly the reason the child has the characteristics they do.

• 2 types of typical first born children; compliant and aggressive.

Traits of First Born Compliant Aggressive• People Pleaser• Crave approval• Nurturers• Caregivers• Reliable• Conscientious• Cooperative• Team players• “Grin and Bear it”

mentality

• Movers and pleasers

• Natural leaders

• Perfectionist

• Driven

• Conventional

• Always have things under control

• Assertive

• Want things their way

Both compliant and aggressive may seem very different but share quite a few

characteristics. Common Traits

• Energetic• Logical• Ambitious• Enterprising• Scholarly

Strengths of 1st born• Greater level of confidence• Helpful• More adult oriented• Excel in academics• Taken seriously• Patient• Organized• Strong powers of concentration• Confident to dream and plan• Feel supported• Choose careers that require a high

degree of precision; law, medicine, computer programming, or architecture

• No gray area in work field • Often boss or owner of company

Weaknesses of 1st born• Have an innate fear of being de-throned• Perfectionists• Overachievers• More guilt and anxiety• Difficulty coping with stressful situations• Higher admissions to child guidance clinics• Feel as though they are never good enough• Tend to be selfish with possessions and attention• Do not like to be told what to do• Have a hard time with creative projects• Do not work well with little direction• Do not gravitate towards jobs such as; sales, advertising,

art, or music because no structure or stability in those jobs

Fun Facts about 1st born

• More than ½ of the US Presidents were first born children

• 21 of the 23 first astronauts were first born children

• Famous 1st born children; Walter Conkrite, Dan Rather, Oprah Winfrey, Rush Limbaugh, and Arsenio Hall.

• 2/3 of entrepreneurs are first born

Middle Children(Black Sheep)

• Most difficult to both read and raise

• “Mysterious Middle Child”• Two main types of middle

children• Not clearly defined as the two

types of first born• Difficult to pin down• Tend to be opposite of their

older sibling• Children with the most friends• Gets along best with others

Middle Children 1st type 2nd type• Loner • Quiet shy• Impatient• Uptight

• Outgoing• Friendly• Loud• Laid back• Patient

Common Characteristic with Middle Born

• Flexible• Diplomatic• Rebellious• Attention seeking• Competitive• peacemakers

Strengths of Middle born

• Peacemakers • Mediators• Able to keep secrets• No spoiled• Take risks• Realistic• Get along well with

others• Read people well• Independent• Loyal to supporters

• Imaginative • Choose careers that

allow them to be creative; arts, sales, advertising, or a career that requires negotiating

• Well suited for management

• Levelheaded • Able to be unbiased • competitive

Weaknesses of Middle born

• Does not do well with hierarchy system

• Doesn’t like strict rules• Prefer to work at their

own pace• Therefore may not

complete tasks on time• Does not work well with

detail• Does not work well with

cut and dry material

• Prefers to make things more creative than needed

• Hates confrontation• Stubborn• Cynical• Suspicious• Rebellious

Fun Facts of Middle born

• Famous middle born children; Donald Trump, Ted Kennedy, Tim Allen, Julia Roberts, and Rosie O’Donnell

• Love to stand out• Want to “do their

own thing”

Last Born children(clowns)

• Quite often the life of the party

• Easiest to define when it comes to the correlation between birth order and personality

• Only one main type of last born

Last Born Traits

• Risk takers• Idealists• Good sense of humor• Hard working• Immature• Attention seeking• Secretive• Sensitive

• Known as the “baby”• Live up to that role• Difficult for child to

find his or her place in the family

• 1st and middle child have already left huge footprints to follow in

Strengths of last born

• Outgoing• Sociable• Affectionate• Caring• Creative • Empathetic• Confident

• Careers in sales• Invention corporations • Good ability to sell

things, including themselves

• Work well alone• Want to be the boss• Do their own thing in

their own space

Weaknesses of last born

• Do not like to be tied down to a commitment

• “cut throat”• Try too hard at times• Alternative routes in

life may make them odd man out

• Spoiled• Manipulative• Immature• Self-centered• Capricious

Fun Facts of Last born

• Famous last born children; Howard Stern, Jay Leno, Ralph Nadar, Bill Gates, and Danny DeVito

• Tend to go against the norm

• Make the biggest stirs in life

• Know no boundaries

Only Children(greater 1st born)

• Special type of birth order• Capable of being any of

the three “main”types of birth order

• Most of these only children do posses characteristics commonly associated with the aggressive first born

• “First Born in Triplicate”• Extreme versions of first

born children• Extremist in all aspects of

life

Only child Traits

• Mature faster• Get along well

with older people• Responsible• Self-Centered• Perfectionists

• Attentions seekers

• Use adult language

• Prefer adult company

• Have difficulty sharing

Strengths of only children

• Trust their own opinion

• Prompt• Ambitious• Enterprising• Energetic• Set goals• Good problem

solvers

• Careers similar to those of the 1st born; law, medicine, and architecture

• Like black and white concepts

• Often prefer to work alone or be the boss

• Successful

Weaknesses of Only Children

• Do not like to be told what to do

• Often stray from team work situations

• Take too much responsibility

• May no respond well to criticisms

• Self-Centered • Fearful of trying new

things

• Criticize themselves and others

• Worry too much• Feel they are always

right• Inflexible• Too busy to see the

big picture

Fun Facts of Only Children

• Famous only children; Nancy Reagan, Chelsea Clinton, Carol Burnett, and Ted Koppel

Variables

• Parents; marital status, parenting style, critical eye of parent, parents birth order

• Gender, does not occur every instance but if there is a male or female born first and the child immediately proceeding is the opposite sex, the birth order could repeat.

• Separate families; more than a five year gap in age of children, or starting a new family.

• Adoption or Remarriage• Death of parent or sibling

Variable (continued)

• Birth order effect might be a strong predictor of behavior.

• However an increasing number of family researchers believe that when all of the factors that influence behavior are considered birth order itself shoes limited ability to predict behavior.