“Could it be that the order in which we were born among our siblings affects our personality?” Psychiatrist Alfred Adler, based on the idea of 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; There are types of first child, middle child, last child and only child, and each sibling’s personality differs according to their birth order. In fact, the theory was taken even further and it was concluded that birth order also affects intelligence.
So who is this Alfred Adler?
Adler, who we know mostly with concepts such as individual psychology, superiority complex, inferiority complex, 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. Among the firstborn children of leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini; He realized that thinkers like Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Mahatma Gandhi were the last child.
Sulloway does this by trying to emulate their parents because there is no one else for first-born children to emulate; 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; therefore, these children generally prefer alternative perspectives.
Another study on birth order can shape personality, conducted in 1968, showed that first-born children are less interested in dangerous sports than their other siblings. 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 ambitious and competitive as they constantly try to surpass their older brothers/sisters. 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. In general, they are more sociable than their other siblings 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 see their parents as rivals and try to surpass them. It can never experience full independence; There is a constant dependence on parents. 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 that age brings about the differences between the personalities of siblings. 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. They did their analysis by focusing on five different traits of personality (Openness, Responsibility, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Balance). As a result of the research, they realized that these basic five big personality traits did not change proportionally among siblings in birth order.
There are studies that criticize and support the theory in this way. 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
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