What Rank You Are ‘Born In’ May Affect Your Personality!

“Among our brothers what rank we were born in could it be affecting our personality?” Psychiatrist Alfred Adler created a theory for this in 1928. Although the theory is very controversial, like many other psychological theories, it is a valuable theory based on the observations of a scientist.

According to this theory, put forward by psychiatrist Alfred Adler, a close friend of Sigmund Freud, who is considered the father of psychology; first child, middle child, last child and only child There are typographical types, and each sibling’s personality differs according to their birth order. Even taking the theory further birth order affects intelligence even the result.

So who is this Alfred Adler?

More individual psychology, superiority complex, inferiority complex Adler, whom we know with concepts such as, is a psychiatrist of Jewish origin who lived between 1870-1937. He has books written on psychology such as The Art of Knowing People and The Art of Living.

In 1928, he created the personality theory related to birth order. This theory has also been tested by different scientists. For example, in the mid-1990s, American psychologist Frank J. Sulloway came to similar conclusions when he scanned historical figures, the first and last child. Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini Among the firstborn children of leaders such as; Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi realized that thinkers like him were the last child.

Sulloway did this because firstborns had no one else to imitate. to resemble their parents working; on the other hand, that the children who come later have other siblings along with their mothers and fathers that they can take as an example; That’s why these kids usually alternative perspectives tied to their preferences.

Another study on how birth order can shape personality was in 1968 compared to other siblings of first-born children. to dangerous sports showed less interest. After these studies on how birth order affects personality, let’s now look at Adler’s personality traits shaped by birth order.

The theory is based on the view that there are 4 different birth orders: eldest child, median, youngest, and only child.

The eldest child: I am a brother/sister, I have to take care of my siblings.

According to the theory; The effect of being the eldest child on the personality is that the person can take responsibility, have a leader spirit, and act with a focus on power. In addition, these children take on the responsibilities of their younger siblings and are more willing to become parents.

Middle child: I am the best and most stable child!

According to the theory, all children who are not first and last children are middle children and they are constantly trying to surpass their older brothers/sisters. They are ambitious and competitive. Although their only goal is to outdo them and outdo them, Adler thinks these kids are the most stable and unselfish in their struggles.

Youngest child: I have different ideas in my mind.

According to this theory, the youngest children become competitive as they try to outdo their pre-born siblings. Usually from other siblings They are more sociable and have better social relations. They are often more successful than their other siblings, and the most talented actors and the best musicians come from these children. On the downside, they are often known as irresponsible and frivolous due to the low expectations for them.

Only child: I’ll beat you daddy!

According to this theory, children who have no other siblings and grow up alone sees parents as rivals and they try to pass them. It can never experience full independence; mom to dad a constant addiction has. They expect the attention and praise they receive from their parents, as well as from others. They do not have good social interactions with their peers and have difficulty getting along. They are self-centered and perfectionist. They consider every way to the goal as permissible and do everything to reach their goals.

Criticism of the theory: Anyone who reaches that age group can have the maturity brought by age, it has nothing to do with birth order.

Although the theory seems to fit the mind, logic and our observations, the biggest criticism of the theory is the differences between the personalities of the siblings. bring your age is the possibility. In other words, the younger sibling can have the same personality traits when they reach the age of the older sibling.

In addition; Julia Rohrer of the University of Leipzig and colleagues Boris Egloff and Stefan Schmukle; It examined data from 20,000 adults in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Their analysis of the five different characteristics of personality (Openness, Responsibility, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Balance) they focused. As a result of the research, they realized that these basic five big personality traits did not change proportionally among siblings in birth order.

This way the theory criticizing and supporting there are studies. The theory still maintains its existence in the psychology literature as a valuable theory, as it opens the door to such studies.

Sources: Psychology Today, Scientific American