Birth order influences personality
By Sheryl A. Machita
Have you ever wondered why
one of your roommates takes
college so seriously and is
always studying, while your
other roommate thinks his big
gest problem is finding out
where next weekend’s party is?
Everyone is interested in fin
ding out why people are the
way they are.
Although genetic inheritance
or astrology might aid some
people in understanding
themselves, research shews
that birth order—the position a
child holds within the
family—affects personality.
According to Dr. Sandra
Prince-Embury, assistant pro
fessor in psychology at Capitol
Campus: “I think that in
understanding birth order they
can understand and accept
some of the natural grain of
themselves and others, so that
they can work with the effects
of birth order as opposed to try
ing to work against them.”
So, by being aware of the ef
fects of birth order, you can
better deal with the people
around you—roommates,
parents, professors, and bosses.
The study of birth order on
personal achievement is not
new. Over half a century ago,
Dr. Alfred Adler, physician,
psychiatrist, and psychologist,
was first to realize the impor
tance that family position has
on a person’s development.
According to Dr. Lucille
Forer, co-author of The Birth
Order Factor, “One grows to
associate those possibilities in
feelings, behavior, and attitudes
with one’s role or place in the
family. These roles form the
basis for personality develop
ment and the basis for adult
behavior patterns—the why of
birth order effects.”
For example, an only child is
usually self-confident because
there is no competition in the
family. An only child is likely to
be dominant, verbal, and a
perfectionist, as well.
Famous only children include
Leonardo Da Vinci, Sammy
Davis Jr., Albert Einstein, and
Indira Gandhi.
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As parents are more strict
with the first-borns, this birth
order position tends to produce
serious, self-sufficient, and
achievement-oriented in
dividuals. Henry Ford,
Katherine Hepburn, Gloria
Steinem, Pablo Picasso, and
George Washington are in this
position.
A second-or-middle-child is
likely to be diplomatic, friendly,
“...an only child is usually self-confident because there is no com
petition in the family. An only child is likely to be dominant, verbal,
and a perfectionist, as well/’
and a good negotiator, because
the position forces the in
dividual to learn how to
manipulate other siblings. Well
known second-borns are
Richard Nixon, John Kennedy,
Susan B. Anthony, and Joan
Baez.
And then there is the baby of
the family. The youngest
develops strong expectations
that there will always be some
one around to take care of
him or her. For this reashn, the
youngest is usually carefree,
fun-loving, and lighthearted. In
clude here: Ted Kennedy, Lady
Bird Johnson, Beverly Sills, and
Gertrude Stein.
Do Capitol Campus students
follow this norm?
In an informal survey of 40
Capitol Campus students, a ma
jority described themselves in
terms typical of their birth
order.
Four out of six only children
surveyed agreed that they were
verbal, dominant, and perfec
tionists.
Eight out of ten first-borns
felt they were serious, indepen
dent, self-sufficient, and
achievement-oriented.
Deviating more were the
youngest with only three out of
eleven agreeing that they were
fun, carefree, and lighthearted.
And second-or-middle-borns
with six out of thirteen saying
they were diplomatic, friendly,
and good negotiators.
More extensive research
shows that career choice
may be influenced by birth
order.
Forer says that first-borns
prefer working with ideas,
while later-borns are more in
terested in practical pursuits in
volving interaction.
One study found that a large
percentage of scholars and
university professors were first
borns, and 52 percent of U. S.
Presidents were first-borns.
In yet another survey, Philip
S. Very, a professor of
jsychologv at Rhode Island Col
ege, concluded that, among
Inode Island beauticians, a
arge portion were second
)orns.
Various researchers have
found a tendency for first-borns
to choose mathematics,
engineering, physics, architec-
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ture, and chemistry fields,
while later-borns are more "like
ly to be in the creative arts.
In the campus survey, most
of the students were majoring
in fields that matched their
birth order positions.
For those interested in learn
ing more about birth order,
Prince-Embury (a first-born)
recommends Dr. Walter
Toman’s Book, Family Con
stellation, which examines
hundreds of birth order case
studies.
Dr. Joseph Dreiss, assistant
professor in psychology at
Capitol Campus (a second
born) says, “Researchers have
never found one main factor
that accounts for a person’s
personality.”
“Remember that nothing ab
solute or irreversible results
from your birth position,” says
Forer. “Your development may
or may not conform to that ex
perienced by others with the
same birth position. Through
understanding birth order as
one of many factors which have
formed you, it is possible to
change your viewpoint, at
titudes, and life-style.”
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