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How birth order affects our personalities fascinates many of us,
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and it's not just at Christmas time when we're
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arguing over why the elder sibling has to peel potatoes
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and why everyone's forgotten
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the middle child has no gravy with their lunch.
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Although you may not realise it,
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you've probably absorbed these stereotypes from birth order theory.
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Birth order theory is the idea that
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our position in our family affects our personality characteristics,
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our IQ, and even our life success and that these last long into adulthood.
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Now at this point I should probably let you know
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that I am the youngest of four, but I absolutely promise you
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that that will not bias in any way whatsoever
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the information I'm about to give you now.
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One of the most influential characters in this story
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was Alfred Adler - an Austrian physician and psychotherapist.
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He wanted to try and understand why children
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who were raised in the same family seem to have different personalities.
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Now at this point I should mention that Alfred Adler
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was actually a middle child - the second of seven children.
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In 1927, Adler theorised that birth order affected personality hugely
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because parents treated children differently
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according to whether they were the eldest or the youngest.
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He also believed that parents comparing siblings
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created a sense of inferiority.
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Since then, researchers have added to this list
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of birth order characteristics.
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Here are just some of them - they might ring a few bells.
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For example, the older child -
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thought to be a people pleaser, responsible, reliable, cautious
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but perhaps bossy and controlling.
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The older child traditionally
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has been thought to be given a lot of parental attention
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so when the second sibling arrives
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they can often feel neglected or dethroned.
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Famous older children include Winston Churchill and JK Rowling.
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The middle child is thought to be often left out, ignored,
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so they tend to be the peacemaker.
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They tend to adapt their personality to fit in
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with perhaps what the older child has already taken away
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in that family niche.
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Famous middle children include Bill Gates and Madonna.
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The youngest child is often thought of as being self-centred, manipulative,
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fun, entertaining and charming.
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The youngest child is often thought
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to have to work harder to get attention
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and to maintain independence and seem different from their siblings.
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Famous younger children include Cameron Diaz and Mahatma Gandhi.
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And if you don't have siblings then don't feel left out
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because Adler had something to say about the personality characteristics
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of people without siblings.
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Only children are often thought to be self-centred, independent,
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looking for approval and mature.
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As they have no older or younger siblings
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they often take on the personality characteristics
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of either the eldest child or the youngest child.
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Famous only children include Daniel Radcliffe and Leonardo da Vinci.
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In 1996, American psychologist Frank Sulloway
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theorised that these differences may be due
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to Darwin's theory of competition and survival.
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Within every family, every child has to compete
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for parental attention and investment in order to survive.
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So for example, the elder sibling
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taking on the responsible role of looking after the younger siblings
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so when the younger child comes along
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they have to develop a different way of being in that family
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and find their own niche
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for example, by being more adventurous.
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By doing this they reduce competition
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and enhance cooperation within the family -
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so chances of survival for everyone are increased.
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Over time, results of further studies have been inconsistent.
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Some have totally backed up Adler's theory,
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others have totally negated it.
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Some studies have shown there are differences
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but that these are not meaningful and others have shown that actually
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any differences found are due to study design.
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For example, how many siblings are in a family
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or the relative ages of siblings.
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So who knows?
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Birth order is a fascinating subject
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but pinning down exactly what impact it has, if any,
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is still a massive challenge.
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But from a personal perspective,
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I still think the youngest child is by far superior.
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Thanks for watching!
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See you again soon!
