Birth order refers to the chronological order of the birth dates of the children in the family, such as the oldest child, the middle child, the youngest child. The time, place and conditions in which children are born affect their experiences in life, so birth order has important effects on personality. Many studies have shown that birth order affects the personality of children and therefore their adulthood. According to research, people with the same birth order feel closer to each other, for example, the oldest child in the family can identify with the oldest children in another family because they have similar, if not exactly the same, experiences.
Families develop different parenting skills with each newborn child. and discovers, so their approach to each child is different. In addition, factors such as the family's current dynamics, conflicts, and financial situation also play an important role in this regard. Families assign different roles and responsibilities to each child due to their age and birth order, which causes their approaches towards children to differ. All these shape the character of children.
The effects of birth order on children's psychologies and personalities?
Alfred Adler first examined the effects of birth order on personality in his theory of individual psychology. In his theory, Adler mentioned that parents attribute different meanings to each born child due to the birth order and that there is sibling jealousy among children. Adler divided children into four different types according to birth order; firstborn child, middle child, youngest child and only child. The firstborn child, that is, the eldest child in the family, experiences the most inexperienced version of his parents, but at the same time he receives a lot of attention and love and is the focus of the whole family. The parents' inexperience in parenting causes the child to struggle to learn some things on his own, which is why it has been observed that the first children are more successful academically. The arrival of a second child in the family may cause trauma for the older child because the child begins to take responsibility, has to share the attention and love of the parents with his sibling, and realizes that he is now grown up. In society, the oldest children are also called A role is assumed with statements such as "you are older, you have grown up now, you have become a brother or sister". Therefore, it has been observed that oldest children mature earlier and have more developed parental abilities. Personality characteristics; They are responsible, leaders and conservative.
Adler stated that the second and middle children are more competitive and diplomatic. Second children often feel like they are in a race to surpass their older brothers or sisters, so they are more ambitious. Sometimes they fail because they set goals that are not appropriate for their age, but at the same time, this struggle accelerates their development speed and they learn to deal with three-pointers. Second children are protected and cared for by both their parents and older siblings, so they feel safer.
According to Adler, the youngest child is the one who is given the most attention and the most pampered by everyone in the family. This constant attention may cause them to become more self-centered. Parents generally tend to be more tolerant of the youngest child. They are likely to be less responsible, more demanding and more dependent individuals. They are also seen as the source of joy for the family. It is also observed that they are more active and enterprising in their social lives. If older children have very high achievements and it is difficult or impossible for the youngest sibling to achieve these achievements, jealousy and feelings of failure arise. The younger child may try to defend himself by finding excuses for his failures.
Only children often have similar character traits to the youngest children. They may be self-centered, spoiled, want more attention, and may experience some conflicts in their social lives when communicating with their peers when starting school, as they do not have to share the attention and love of their families. Because they are used to having attention and care. They expect everything they do to be liked and approved. Their creativity is more developed because they find fun games on their own because they do not have siblings. Since they are used to playing alone, they may have difficulty in sharing.
Can the effects of birth order on personality be prevented?
Interest between parents' children Being able to establish a balance of love and affection positively affects the relationship between siblings and reduces sibling jealousy. If they cannot establish this balance, a more competitive and ambitious environment will be created for children. Therefore, the relationship between children will progress unhealthy as there will be sibling jealousy. Parents' approach and support directly affects their self-confidence. All these experiences that children experience have an impact on their future lives. If families think that the communication between children or their attitudes and behaviors towards them is not correct, they should not forget to get support from an expert.
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