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Alfred Alder's Birth Order Theory

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Alfred alder’s birth order has the object of much criticism over the years with arguments such as he did not take social class, age and gender into his theory, while all this is true, one must consider that research for the birth order theory was conducted on one group of people from a particular social class and cultural background. Therefore, it is almost impossible to apply this theory to Caribbean cultures or people of different socio-economic backgrounds because his birth order theory was not designed to explain these circumstances. However when the theory is applied to the correct social class and economic background his theory truly shines. From research gathered on birth order and personal interpretation, it is in my view that …show more content…

Adler was once a student of Sigmund Freud, therefore, ome of Freud work may have a place in alders work for example when the first born is replaced the child behaves in a very volatile manner to seek attention from parents this behaviour according to Sigmund Freud could be called an ID impulse. Freud described the id as an entity “that behaves according to the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of wishes and a reduction of pain and tension. Since the id is infantile and primitive by nature, it attempts to satisfy its desires by what Freud termed primary process. This means that the id is illogical, a social, impulsive, and demanding. Primary process means that there is action or discharge without thought or delay. There is no consideration of reality or the needs of others” Hedgespeth, J. (2014). Therefore, stubbornness and destructive behaviour may be expected. As mentioned earlier if the birth order theory was to viewed as a cause and effect theory such volatile behaviour may be thought of as an effect with the cause being the removal of undivided attention an love to understand why this may become such a problem for the child could be explained by operant conditioning developed by B.F Skinner in his theory he says that In operant conditioning we learn behaviours based on rewards or consequences this could in the case of the first-born from a young age because of how the child was conditioned to enjoy the love and attention of the parents when taken away from the child he or she reacts in a corrosive manner because of the ID and its primal attributes. This same principle may also explain why only children also display similar behaviour when they are not the centre of attention it maybe because just like the first born they were conditioned to enjoy such

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In the article “The Power of Birth Order” by Jeffrey Kluger, I read about the impact of birth order has on families and who we will become. The power of birth order has an effect in every family, no one is immune. We saw what he meant when Kluger gave us an example of important people in the public eye. He started talking about the misfortune of many presidents’ younger siblings such as Elliot Roosevelt, Donald Nixon, Billy Carter, Roger Clinton, and Neil Bush. Although, their older brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George Bush became someone historical and responsible for the nation, their siblings didn’t run the same luck.

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The importance of birth order: Rhetorical analysis in, “The Power of Birth Order, by Jeffery Kluger.” The power of birth order can affect siblings as well as the house hold children grow up in. Kluger gives many examples throughout the article and how important the birth order is. The birth order also has effect on how children enter adulthood. Different studies to back up Kluger comes from studies in the Philippines, from Norwegian researchers, and a professional from the University of Redlines, in Redlines, California.

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This is explained with the help of psychoanalytic theory, which state that children want to please their parents. Those harsh upbringings brings them into a situation where they feel both love and hat towards their caregiers and those feelings result result in an inner conflict. The feelinge get hidden in the unconscious and have an influence later in life. They place them on other people, especially on those who are different or more vulnerable than

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The stereotypical birth order roles have been ingrained in the etched tablets of time for millennia. The elder child is presumed to be the teacher and in fear of having their throne usurped by their attention pilfering pretender of a younger sibling, while the middle child peers on helplessly; however, this may not always be the case—or at least, not in a direct fashion. In “That Elusive Birth Order Effect and What it Means for You” by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., Whitbourne proposes that perceived birth order may supersede the physical version and mentions that roles assigned by parents also may have a great deal of influence. Although biological order of birth may have a perceived effect on a child’s destiny, merely being born into this realm at a certain bookmark in the annals of time may have a lesser effect than the perceived order and roles assigned by their parental figure(s).

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