In the age-old nature versus nurture debate, one detail has always been thought of as an important factor in personality development: your order of birth. Your birth order often influences your relationship with your parents, your ability to take care of yourself and even many of your beliefs and values. Of course, not everyone will fit these personality types exactly since human personalities are much more complex. However several key traits of your personality can be determined by where you stand among your siblings.
First Borns
First born children are believed to be more ambitious and domineering. New parents want to give the best of everything to their first kid because parenting is still such a novelty to them. They take active interest in teaching them new concepts and are more hands-on…until the next child comes along. Because first borns were given this enthusiastic start in life, they tend to carry this through with them into adulthood. They also tend to dominate group settings because they had to fight for their parents’ attention once the younger siblings came. First born children are usually very responsible because they are used to taking care of their younger siblings and standing in for their parents from time to time. This can create a determination to do everything on their own and not ask for any help however much they might need it.
Middle Borns
The old stereotype of the neglected middle kid is actually true in most cases. Middle children tend to be ignored by their parents who are too preoccupied with the bossy first borns and the needy baby of the family. Middle borns are often left to their own devices and tend to be a lot more independent than their siblings. They’re also generally the voice of mediation in group settings, probably because they’re so used to settling fights between other members of their family. Middle children are very likely to go through a rebellious phase during their childhood, in an effort to get their parents’ attention. This usually resolves itself by adulthood, when they feel more secure of their place in the world.
Youngest Borns
The youngest children in the family are unsurprisingly, often the least responsible. They tend to be mollycoddled by their parents and are eternally the ‘baby’ of their family. They are rarely ever given any responsibilities, but get more privileges than their siblings do. They find it difficult to compromise in group settings because they’re so used to getting their own way. They also will find it more difficult to leave home and be independent because they’ve always had someone else do everything for them. Youngest borns can also feel frustrated a lot of times because they feel like their opinions aren’t given the same importance as everyone else’s are. In some cases, this can push them to succeed at work, because they constantly feel the need to prove themselves.
Only Children
Only children are a sort of amalgamation of the previous three types. They get all the responsibilities of an only child, the independence of a middle child and the attention of the youngest child. But apart from this, only children also tend to be the most mature because they spend more time with adults than with children. They are rarely excluded from grown-up conversations between their parents and so have the opportunity to think in a more logical, rational manner. They have no problem living on their own because they’re used to taking care of themselves. The downside of being an only child is that not having siblings can make it difficult for them to socialize or compromise in a group setting.
