Birth Order Theory

Identified by Alfred Adler in 1918 Believed that the order in which a person is born into a family influences all aspects of his/her personality (values, beliefs, behaviours, etc)

Labelled 4 birth order positions: Only Oldest Middle Youngest

The Only The only children in some ways have the best of both worlds – characteristics of both oldest and youngest; leaders, but also risk takers. They are also thought to: Be precocious Be more confident, articulate and imaginative than other children Hate criticism Be perfectionists, creative Prefer adult company and conversations. [Health Risk - Be at the greatest risk for obesity]

The Eldest The ‘lab rat’; science project for first time parents Planners, organizers; more motivated to achieve Managers; perfectionists; high/over achievers Natural-born leaders; caretakers of the family Used to being the center of attention Pressure to be the best; they tend to be smarter than their younger siblings, by up to 3 IQ points Often times, they are the parents’ favourites They are highly self-critical [A majority of our world leaders are first-borns.] [Health Risk - More frequently suffer from high blood pressure, cardio-vascular disease]

The Middle Middle children typically are: Mediators, peacemakers Good listeners, negotiators & people pleasers Usually more secretive, & often feel isolated or the "odd man out" in their own family, & seek company outside the home Loyal friends Feel replaceable, lost. [They have the most to prove & the most at stake.] Feel unnoticed, unimportant. Work very hard to create an identity different from their older and younger siblings. [Interestingly, the more kids you have in the middle, the less strong these characteristics become.] [Health Risk - Most at risk for chronic fatigue syndrome.]

The Youngest The youngest are: More playful since they have to fight for attention Have a good sense of humour - actors and famous comedians Tend to take more risks because they've been more protected, they feel indestructible. Have a lot of confidence; comes from the "watch what I can do" attitude. Creative, great problem-solvers. Have a need to "dethrone" the first-born. Prove their individuality, since they end up with all the hand- me-downs. Are charmers. [Health Risk - As thrill/pleasure seekers, they can be most at risk for addictive behavior, which can range from compulsive eating and drinking to sex.]

INFLUENCES ON BIRTH ORDER THEORY

1. Parents’ birth order They may be more sensitive to the child/children sharing their own birth order position i.e. - the lost middle born

2. Sex of the Children 1 boy in a family of girls may be treated differently than a family of boys and girls (and vice versa) The boy may be treated like the eldest child even if he is a later born

3. Age between the Children If the age spread is greater than 5 years between any 2 children this theory may not hold true

The accuracy of this theory may be affected if... If the age spread is greater than 5 years between any 2 children The families are blended A child is placed into a position of increased responsibility for any reason

This theory advises that your best potential marital partner is someone from a different birth order position i.e. - eldest marrying a middle or youngest