preview

Birth Order Essay

Decent Essays

Birth Order Families are the first system to which one belongs. Each person has his or her own specific niche in the family. The order in which each child was born influences that niche, therefore influencing who that person becomes (Collins). Whether one was born first, middle, or last in reference to siblings can decide mannerisms that a person has, how far he or she goes in life, and how he or she interacts with other people. An oldest is defined as the first born in a family, first born of a certain gender, or a person whose closest sibling in age of the same gender is five or more years older than him or her. They tend to be organized, responsible, scholarly, and perfectionists (Lemain). Oldest children become this way because they receive …show more content…

They tend to “branch off” from the oldest sibling’s traits, in an attempt to be recognized for their own characteristics and not be compared to their older sibling (“Birth Order”). Because the oldest sibling usually is very scholarly and conscientious, the middle child often becomes somewhat lazy and has less drive. They are stuck in the middle of older and younger siblings, and often end up being the mediator or the compromiser (Lemain). Because of this, they grow up to have great people skills in varying groups. Middle kids sometimes struggle with jealousy and self-esteem because they were given less attention growing up compared to the oldest and youngest children (Collins). Middle kids can be somewhat competitive because they always have needed to compete with siblings for goods and attention. Sometimes, however, they are more laid back than their siblings. This depends on the child’s own circumstances (“Birth Order”). Overall, middle children are independent, social, and diplomatic …show more content…

Birth order is not a simple system stereotyping all first-borns as having one personality, with all second-borns another, and last-born kids a third. Instead, birth order is about tendencies and general characteristics that may often apply. Other things also influence birth order. “Birth Order” Some of these things that influence birth order include spacing and gender. If a child is born more than five years after another, a “new family” begins. This meaning that a child in this circumstance would take firstborn characteristics instead of the traits of his or her actual birth order. Gender also affects which characteristics a person takes on. For example, the firstborn of either gender takes on firstborn characteristics (“Birth

Get Access