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The phrase birth order refers to the order of birth. Children are either "first born" or "later borns".

The influence of birth order is still an open issue, but some clear patterns have been established.

For males the number of older brothers (born to the same mother) increases the chances of homosexuality. With each older brother a male's chances of being a homosexual increases by about 30% relative to a first born male. The developmental mechanisms of this phenomenon are unknown, but it is theorized that immunological responses to subsequent male fetuses by the mother's body may affect certain neurological masculinizing effects of testosterone. No such correlation between birth order and female homosexuality exists. However it should be noted that proponents have not tested if children from big families raised in small families (adoption) show the same results (see Nature versus nurture)

Personality is clearly and strongly influenced by birth order. Personality psychologists largely (though by no means without debate) agree that the Big five personality traits (also known as Five Factor) represent something like a natural taxonomy of human personality variables. Cross-linguistically the vast majority of adjectives used to describe human personality fit into one of the following five areas, easily remembered by the acronym OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

In his book "Born to rebel", and in ongoing research papers, Frank J. Sulloway has mounted conclusive evidence that birth order effects on the Big Five are strong and very consistent. Using a scale between bipolar adjective pairs (ex.: hard-working . . . . . . . lazy) and intrafamily ratings with tens of thousands of respondents Sulloway has shown firstborns to be more conscientious, more socially dominant, less agreeable, and less open to new ideas compared to laterborns. In a cross-cultural replication of Sulloway's work anthropologist Paul Roach collected several hundred within-family ratings among horticulturalist Shuar Indians in Ecuadorian Amazonia and found nearly identical correlations between the Big Five and birth order among these nonwesternized people (conference presentation: HBES, 2002, Rutgers University).

Birth order and intelligence

Birth Order and Intelligence: A Classic Study

In 1973, Lillian Belmont and Francis Marolla published family size, birth order and intelligence test (Dutch version of the Raven Progressive Matrices) data from nearly the entire population of 19-year-old Dutch men (386, 114 subjects). Their study design was complex, so interested readers should consult the primary source. However, a general overview of the results will be presented here. Belmont and Marolla found that:

"Children from large families tend to make poorer showings on intelligence tests and on educational measures, even when social class is controlled." "Within each family size (i) firstborns always scored better on the Raven than did later borns; and (ii) with few inconsistencies, there was a gradient of declining scores with rising birth order, so that firstborns scored better than secondborns, who in turn scored better than thirdborns, and so forth." "In general, as family size increased, there was a decrease in Raven performance within any particular birth order position." For example, a thirdborn born child from a 3-child family would be expected to score higher than a thirdborn child from a 4-child family. A thirdborn child from a 5-child family would be expected to score even lower, and so on.

In 1874 Francis Galton offered several reasons why birth order might affect eminence. Among them, he listed:

1. Primogeniture laws. Firstborn sons would be more likely have the financial resources to continue their education.
2. Firstborns had the advantage of being "treated more as companions by parents." This means that they also undertake more responsibility than their younger siblings.
3. Firstborn children would get more attention and better nourishment in families with limited financial resources

Birth order and personality

Many claim that birth order influences personality. The realm of pop psychology often attributes the following traits to each order:

First-born

The first-born child will receive the expectations of his parents. Because of this, many first-borns are in danger of acquiring perfectionistic or people-pleasing behaviors. On a more optimistic note, proponents of birth-order theory state that first-borns tend to be quite confident, diligent and mature. Not all first-borns are over-achievers, but even the most laid-back first-born is clearly guided by a need to do the right thing and strives to make a difference in society.

Middle-born

Middle-born children have a diverse range of personalities. The habits of many middle-borns are motivated by the fact that they have never been truly in the spotlight--the first-born always seems to be achieving and pioneering ahead, while the younger sibling is secure in his niche as the entertainer of the family. The middle-born child may develop great social skills and have an easier time growing up with an other-centered point of view.

The Baby

The name given to the youngest child is revealing: the youngest child of the family is viewed as the party animal, the entertainer who is unafraid to test his or her luck. While this is certainly not true of all youngest siblings, proponents of this theory state that the baby of the family is an endearing, delightful friend if not too self-centered.

Alfred Adler's Contribution

Alfred Adler (1870-1937), an Austrian psychiatrist, and a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and Gustav Jung, included birth order dynamics in his theory of personality formation. Also referred to as family constellation, one's birth order position often (but not always) can leave an indelible impression on the individual's style of life (habitial way of dealing with the tasks of friendship, love, and work). Other factors that may be equally influential are: parental attitudes; organ inferiority, illness, and disabilty; gender roles; or social, economic and religious circumstances. Any overburdening factor may intensify normal inferiority feelings and lead to unconscious compensations or over-compensations (i.e, an extremely talented older or younger sibling). Other birth order factors that should be considered are: the spacing in years between siblings; the total number of children; and the changing circumstances of the parents over time. Adler wisely suggested that birth order does not cause any direction of personality development, but it may be used by the individual as a building brick for his/her freely chosen style of life and fictional final goal. Many reasearchers, in attemtpting to prove or disprove the sole effects of birth order, neglect the complextiy of other.

References

• Template:Journal reference

External links

• Birth Order chart
• "Second Son, Middle Child, Next Comes a Girl" a sonnet by Michael J. Farrand.
• "Adlerian Overview of Birth Order Characteristics" by Henry Stein.
• "How Position in the Family Constellation Influences Life Style" by Alfred Adler.
• "Birth Order: Sense and Nonsense" a BBC Interview with Henry Stein.

• Human development
• Personality