Effect Of Birth Order On Children

Older sister, younger brother, or middle child are more than just labels that people have in a family; psychologist say that birth order has an effect on all aspects of a child’s personality.

First Born: First born children are born as natural leaders. They also tend to be perfectionists, reliable and conscientious people. First born children do not react well to surprises and can be aggressive, however are often people pleasers. Children who are first born have a strong need for approval by others. Examples of first born children include Oprah Winfrey, Peter Jennings, Rush Limbaugh and over half of all U.S.A presidents.

Only Child: Only children are similar to first born children. The characteristics in an only child however are typically three fold. They are even bigger perfectionists, are more responsible and tend to get along better with older people than individuals there own age. Examples of only children are Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra and Lauren Bacall.

Middle Child: The middle child is often the most difficult to stereotype. They are almost always guaranteed to be the opposite of their older sibling, but this can manifest in a variety of ways. Middle children typically feel as though their older sibling stole the spotlight from them, while their younger siblings could get away with murder. They tend to be secretive, more withdrawn and not prone to talk about their emotions. Since middle children feel as though they were overlook by their family they grow stronger connections with peers and are excellent people readers and peacemakers.

Last Born: The children who are born last tend to be outgoing, social butterflies. They are also the most financially unstable of all the other siblings since their primary interest is in having a good time. The youngest children of the family are often very charming, but can also be manipulative and spoiled. Examples of some babies of the family are Billy Crystal, Goldie Hawn, Drew Carey, Jim Carey and Steve Martin.

While these are typically characteristics of birth order, there are some exceptions such as a larger space between the children may allow for some crossing over of characteristics or if the first born is a girl and the next child is a boy he will have some first sibling characteristics since he was the first male child in the family. Deaths, adoptions and blended families can also have an effect on these characteristics.