Psychology

The term birth order refers to an individuals rank by age among his or her siblings. Since the 1970s, researchers and psychologists have been engaged in efforts to shed more light on this issue. It has been speculated that a persons birth order influences his or her personality, an argument that has led to the development of the birth order theory. In the scientific field, claims that birth order influences personality have been received with mixed reaction. For instance, some scientist consider birth order influences an individuals intelligence hence it affects personality (Wilson, 2003). Some of the arguments that have been made about the relationship between birth order and personality include that last born children are spoiled and lack focus while the middle children are the black sheep of the family. For first born children, parents are usually anxious about the first child and may be more restrictive when dealing with them than other children. This paper will critically evaluate the argument that birth order affects personality.

Discussion
It is fascinating how children in families show their differences and similarities in personality due to the birth order. The environment in which first born children are welcomed into is tight because it is characterized by elevated standards and high expectations. In many cases, first time parents are proud of having a baby hence they become very attentive about the child. In addition, parents tend to show great commitment when it comes to purchasing the best quality products for their children. Due to the constant attention that the first borns receive from their parents, every achievement they make during development does not go unnoticed. The children develop high self-esteem and become confident. This boosts their ability to adapt to a changing environment. For first born children who are given the responsibility of leading the younger ones, they develop good leadership skills and are always willing to become role models to the others. For several decades, the evidence to support this argument has been inconclusive. However, research studies have indicated that ones birth order can affect both intelligence and personality.

First born children may develop certain personality traits due to the existing family environment. For instance, attempts by first borns to settle disputes between the younger siblings equip them with good problem solving skills. This role motivates first borns to become leaders. In addition, when first born children receive great attention from their parents, they may feel inferior when the second born child is born. They respond to this by adopting a personality trait that attracts attention. First borns enjoy undivided attention from grandparents and parents. Parents have very high expectations for the first borns but the youngest children are unburdened by the parents high expectations. Last borns therefore enjoy greater freedom  than the elder siblings.Due to the competitive atmosphere that the second born children are born in, they tend to develop characteristics and behaviors that are opposite to those of the first borns.For example, if the first born child happens to be pleasant and cooperative, they tend to become the trouble makers. The effects of birth order on personality also influence the career paths of the individuals. Anecdotal evidence implies that a larger number of individuals who hold power or have huge responsibility in the community are first borns as compared to second borns or children who hold other positions.

Many books, newspapers and journals tend to invoke the topic of birth order in relation to parenting, relationships and self-discovery (Saroglou and Fiasse, 2003).Although the link between the birth order and personality has been considered to be nothing more than a common perception without scientific evidence, recent studies have confirmed that ones position in the family affects the personality and IQ. For example, Norwegian epidemiologists Tor Bjerkedal and Peter Kristensen published some work about a study on birth order.The findings indicated that a reliable but small negative correlation between birth order and IQ exists. The results further indicated that the more older siblings an individual has, the lower ones IQ.This influences a persons personality. For second born children, a feeling of inadequacy in comparison to other sibling makes them competitors hence efforts by second born children to attract attention is evident in their character and personality. Many people believe that their birth order has influenced the development of certain personality characteristics in them. The influence of family constellation has had a strong influence on the lifestyles of children. Intellectual destiny is influenced by ones birth order. Some birth order theorist confirms that first born children are given more responsibility and power. This makes them confident, an issue that encourages good performance in class. Older siblings develop leadership skills by teaching and tutoring the younger children.

The birth order can have both direct and indirect effects on personality. While more positive characteristics can be seen in first born children, the middle borns may develop negative characteristics if they become troublesome. For instance, some of the personality traits that have been attributed to oldest children include that they are intelligent, mature, and independent and have leadership skills. However they can be bossy, spoilt and eager to receive attention (Wilson, 2003).Disobedience is often associated with middle born children. The new approach to the relationship between birth order and personality relates to the evolutionary principle that an offsprings behavior in relation to survival is influenced by the care heshe receives from the parents. Although some theorists state that birth order influences creativity, some researchers points out that the most influential factor on personality is not where one is born but how ones function or role in the family influence personality.  According to the birth order theory, four order types exist first borns, second borns, onlys and last borns. The theory points out that the first borns tend to be the responsible types and leaders. They love to be in control, conservative in outlook and are low risk takers due to their tendency towards perfectionism. The second borns are the flexible operators, concerned about the wellbeing of the others and compromisers. This makes them consider friendship and relationships to be important .Children that have no siblings are great achievers and tend to go for the best because they are concerned about pleasing others and they consider recognition important. However, they may be secretive. The last borns are the initiators and the challengers. For example,studies  that have been carried out in the US  about the birth order of many leaders have shown that first borns hold senior positions in many organizations and have a higher general point aggregate than the later . Children in families compete to create distinct niches and to enjoy their parents resources. First born children tend to be conventional, competitive and responsible. Last born children show some elements of play and being rebellious.

There is systematic effect of birth order on personality. Using a five factor model of personality, the effect of birth order traits has been examined. The findings have shown that showed brief measures of extraversion, neuroticism and openness in a group of individuals is not related to birth order. Dr.Kevin Leman who is an internationally known psychologist asserts that birth order affects ones personality. According to Dr.Leman, the older children are often organized, tend to be high achievers and detail-oriented. Parents expect more from the older children as compared to the younger children. Second born children are negotiators in the family. The last borns on the other hand are social, manipulative, outgoing, and open to change and are risk takers. The only children are to some extent similar in personality to the first borns.

Birth order is a variable that distinguishes the age of   children in a given family and forms a basis for the study of behavior genetics on personality. Some attempts to link birth order to personality traits have shown inconsistent results. For instance, the desire to achieve and to have first borns conform to certain personality traits has been linked to differences in sibling size and societal class. Some scientists have asserted that birth order is not a strong influence in the molding of a personality and instead have indicated that personality outcomes are influenced by multiple interactions of environmental factors. These factors include peer relationships, family sibling size and parental intervention. Traits such as sociability are common in later borns while E-related traits such as assertiveness are common in first borns. The NEO-PI-R is the most commonly used measure of the five-factor model used in birth order related studies. Findings of research carried out using this model have shown that firstborns do not have significant differences from later borns on some factors. Some researchers have argued that functional birth order and not biological order influence personality development. For example, a child who grows up alone with grandparents is functionally an only child regardless of ones biological birth order in the family Furthermore, a second born child whose older sibling dies is functionally a first born.

Criticism on research work that has been carried out about the effect of birth order on personality is due to the use of self reports in the studies. Self reports that are used in the studies are considered not to be the perfect indicators or underlying personality traits. However, the reports are good in shedding more light about birth order and personality (Jefferson et al, 1998).

Research studies conducted on the effect of birth order on personality focus on some common traits such as competitiveness, creativity and independence. Some birth order theorists such as Morales have asserted that the position of a child in relation to birth order influences personality characteristics (Morales, 1994).This in turn affects their behavior within the family or outside the home environment. Another study to determine the relationship between personality and birth order indicated that middle borns are often rebellious. In addition, the study indicated that they are less religious and showed lower school performance (Saroglou and Fiasse,2003).They are more open to fantasy and are often impulsive. Last borns are warm and easy to agree with. From 1976 to the twentieth century, about 141 studies on the relationship between birth order and personality were conducted. These studies suggested that the role of siblings in the family depends on the age, gender and other variables other than the birth order.

Many people believe that their birth order defines their personality. This has made a large number of people to develop implicit theories about their personality and birth order. Some of the most interesting traits to birth order dynamics include responsibility, ascendancy, self-esteem and emotional stability. Study of to determine the impact of birth order on personality and career choices involved 527 undergraduate students. The students were expected to fill in a questionnaire that contained demographic questions on sex, birth order and race (Collins, 2006).The study results indicated that although the discussion on the relationship between the birth order and personality is interesting, there is minimal   scientific evidence that ones personality is influenced by the birth order. Psychological birth order   influences ones career choice.

Conclusion
The discussion on the effect of birth order on personality has attracted lot of attention in psychology. Many people are convinced that their birth order in one way or another has influenced their personality trait. Some of the observations that have been made about first born are that they have larger receptive vocabulary. However, those who are born later may develop better conversational skills than the first burns .However, the relationship between birth order and personality is not as obvious as it always seem. Various studies have been conducted to verify whether there is any correlation between birth order and personality. Although some studies indicate that there is no relationship between the two, other have implied that there is some significant correlation between birth order and personality. The birth order plays an important role in ones life because the family is the first social system that a child is exposed to be. More studies will need to be undertaken in future to explore this topic further.    

Collins, C. (2006).The Relationship between Birth Order and personality and Career
Choices. Accessed on March 3, 2010 from
digitalcommons.providence.educgiviewcontent.cgiarticle...

This article  provides in-depth information about the relationship between birth order, personality and career choices. It provides information on how over the years the relationship between birth order and personality has been viewed and discussed. A research conducted to establish the impact of birth order on career choices confirmed that ones psychological birth order influences ones career choice. To some extent, the study shows that birth order may have an impact on personality. For instance, second born may become talkative, creative, emotional and irresponsible because they struggle to resist the higher status of the first borns.

The article points out that birth order may influence personality
Jefferson, T et al. (1998). Associations between Birth Order and Personality Traits Evidence from self-Reports and Observer Ratings. Journal of Research in Personality 32, 498- 509.

This journal article presents a discussion on why birth order has been disapproved to be a major factor in determining an individuals personality. The paper begins by explaining that many people believe that their birth order influences their personality. However, the article argues that is not the biological birth order that affects personality but rather it is the functional birth order. For example, a child who grows up with the grandparents only even though heshe may not be the first born is functionally a first born. It is this position that affects the personality. Criticism on research work that has been carried out on the effect of birth order on personality is due to the use of self reports. Although the reports are perfect indicators of the underlying personality traits, they do not provide evidence that birth order affects personality.

The article concludes that ones birth order by function as compared to the biological order affects personality.
 
Morales, C. (1994). Birth Order Theory A Case for Cooperative Learning. Journal of
Instructional Psychology 21, 246-250

This journal article discusses about the birth order theory .The theory asserts that birth order has a correlation with an individuals personality. This theory has been supported by several researchers and psychologists but has been criticized for having minimal scientific evidence. Morales support the theory and provide examples of how birth order has influenced the personality traits of the first borns, second borns and lastborns. The article explains which conditions promote the development of certain personality traits.

This journal article supports the birth order theory.
Saroglou, V and Fiasse, L. (2003). Birth order, personality, and religion a study among young

Adults from a three-sibling family.  HYPERLINK httpwww.sciencedirect.comsciencejournal01918869 Personality and Individual Differences
Volume 35, Issue 1, July 2003, Pages 19-29

This article supports the argument that birth order affects ones personality. It discusses a research study that was carried out to determine whether there is any correlation between birth order and personality. The study also focused on the impact of birth order on religious matters.Reserach findings indicated that there is a significant relationship between birth order and personality.Themiddle borns were found to be less religious and had lower school performance as compared to the other birth orders. They were more open to fantasy and impulsive. On the other hand, the last borns were found to be warm and easy to agree with. This supports the theory that the birth order affects personality.

The article indicates that there is a relationship between birth order and personality
Wilson, J. (2003). Birth order and personality characteristics. Accessed on March 3, 2010 from
clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edumanuscripts442.php

This article provides detailed information about the relationship between birth order and pearsonality.It asserts that birth order affects ones personality. Birth order refers to ones ranking in the family in relation to birth as compared to the other siblings. The article discusses the various personality traits that are evident in first borns, second borns and last borns.As believed by many people, first borns are considered to be more responsible and   tend to assume leadership roles in the family. The second borns tend to compete with the first borns hence may adopt behavior that is rebellious or troublesome. The last borns are considered to be irresponsible and emotional. These personality traits are evident in children based on their birth order. The article reaffirms the belief that the birth order affects ones personality.

The article asserts that birth order affects personality.