The influence of birth order on personality - Essay Example

Birth Order and Personality It was in the persona of a psychiatrist d Alfred Adler who has introduced the influence of birth order to a person’s personality. It is not just the birth order that will affect a person’s personality but also the type of family that the person belongs to. There are several possibilities of birth order personality present in this society as there is no definite number of children a couple may have in their lifetime. However, Adler only stated 4 birth orders namely: 1) the first-born, 2) the second-born, 3) the youngest child, and 4) the only child.

The theory of Adler would not be applicable for those families that have more than 3 children as there is nothing stated for middle children (Carducci, 156-60). Independence is the main characteristic of the first-born children. Even if they were given the full attention of both parents upon birth, this will change once the second child is born. The attention that would be given by the parents would be divided between the 2 children. Much burden however can be felt by second born children as they are always in the shadow of the first born.

There are signs of inferiority that were observed with second born children (Carducci, 156-60; Adler & Mairet, 96-110). Being the youngest child has its positive and negative influences in its personality. Positive effects would be that the youngest child would feel more pampering as there are more people that surround them. The presence of the parents and the older siblings would create a blanket of comfort for the youngest child. This factor could also have negative effect on the child’s personality.

Being the youngest in the family, there are quite a number of fulfillments that they need to overcome and to outshine the older siblings to prove his or her capabilities. Most of the times this creates the sense of discouragement in a child and be carried through once the person steps to adulthood (Carducci, 156-60). There are families however that only has 1 child in the family. The only child theory states that these children do have the tendency to be pampered more and be accustomed of being the center of attention.

Once this comfort and attention is not given to the child, there is a tendency of becoming more timid, passive and withdrawn. This is the total opposite of being the first born in a family with more than 1 child. The first born children are independent while the only child, though also a first born, is more withdrawn and dependent type of personality (Carducci, 156-60). These theories may be used in trying to understand a person’s personality. However, this is only a guide and not a basis for stereotyping people just because of their birth order.

Sometimes, as life goes on, a child would adapt different characteristics and adjust their personalities with how the society is working and treating them. Can the personalities that have been observed also be applied to middle children or those who are the third or fourth born child? Though there are similarities with the personalities of people from the same birth order, it is still not proper to stereotype a person just because of this factor. There are still quite a number of factors that would make up a man’s personality.

In addition, in-depth research is needed to be able to confirm the relationship between the two factors.Works Cited:Adler, Alfred and Philip Mairet. Alfred Adler: Problems of Neurosis : A Book of Case Histories. 1929. Great Britain: Routledge, 2002.Carducci, Bernardo J. The Psychology of Personality: Viewpoints, Research, and Applications. 2nd ed. USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.Sulloway, Frank J. Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives. USA: First Vintage Books, September 1997.