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Show: November 8, 2009:
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Checkup: Birth Order & Personality
Host:
Does it matter whether you're the firstborn, a middle child, or somewhere lower on the birth order totem pole? Jeremy Shere investigates.
When talking about birth order, you'll hear stereotypes and drama.
Child number one is successful, maybe CEO of a fortune 500 company. The middle kid gets lost in the shuffle, never finding a path in life and ends up living in a mobile home in the desert. And then there is the youngest often called the wild child, taking advantage of their parent’s new found apathetic attitude toward discipline.
Professor Dalton Conley, Dean of Social Sciences of New York University, calls this scenario pop sociology.
"I think there is a lot more truth to the claim that birth order affects our personalities then it does our overall success. The reason I say that is we have a big economy there’s many slots for different people. So the, quote, wild child can get ahead if he goes into the right field."
Conley thinks a child’s personality and character development is not completely dependent on birth order; it’s way more complicated then that. Factors like gender, family dynamics, genetics and spacing between kids all help shape personality.
During a twins study, Conley did find some interesting facts about birth order. Even though twins are often only minutes apart, the first-born is usually healthier.
"It’s really a proxy for which twin had the front row seat, so to speak, to the placenta and got the lion's share of the resources inside the womb. So often you see the first-born sibling is the leader, so to speak."
However, first borns don’t get all the perks. There are benefits for later born siblings. Parents have lived and learned; they’re more experienced. They also might be farther along in their careers so there’s more money to spend on a kids needs and wants.
Additional Resources:
- Find more info on birth order at the Child Development Institute.
