Effects of Birth Order Discovered

Effects of Birth Order Discovered
Alfred Adler, one of the first psychologists to ex-
amine birth order, used the term ‘‘family constella-
tion’’ to help explain some of the personality
differences that tend to develop within families. This
research into family dynamics evolved from the study
of genetics. Scientists found that the influence of ge-
netics alone did not explain the extreme differences
in children from the same family.
Although Adler frequently is mentioned as one of
the fathers of birth order research, much of what he
hypothesized has been refuted. For example, Adler
claimed that second-born children were the highest
achievers because of their relatively relaxed style.
After numerous subsequent studies on birth order,
however, it is now generally accepted that firstborns
typically achieve the most and are often more intelli-
gent than other siblings. Interestingly, of the first
twenty-three American astronauts sent into outer
space, twenty-one were firstborns and the other two
were only children.
Since Adler, social scientists have spent a consid-
erable amount of time asking the basic question of
whether birth order makes any difference in how we
develop as individuals. Generally, the answer is yes.
A person’s birth order position in the family has been
linked to differences in achievement, intelligence, at-
58 BIRTH ORDER AND SPACINGtitudes, and behaviors, including the presence of ju-
venile delinquency, mental illness, and success or
failure in marriage. Clearly, however, many people
are most interested in the various personality traits or
tendencies that accompany the different birth order
positions. Moreover, the literature is rather consistent
when it comes to identifying these characteristics, one
of the few areas where there is general agreement