The Birth Order Effect

Family dynamics and size have changed drastically over the past century from an average of six to nine kids to an average of one to three kids (Livni, Ephrat, and Kopf). Roughly a century ago, children were needed on farms as extra work hands and they were a large part of factory labor. Today children are required to go to school and are reliant on parents for all of their needs. Although the role of children has changed in the family, the power of birth order has not. Today, a phenomenon known as the ‘Birth Order Effect’ has become popular. This effect takes a closer look at how birth order can affect a child’s whole life. Birth order has a major effect on every aspect of a child’s life such as their personality, their intelligence, and their

This study found that first-born children are more likely to be a perfectionist in comparison to their younger siblings. Second-born children were found to be more of an extrovert, meaning they are out-going and sociable, sentimental, and more daring to try new experiences. (Rettner). The results can be applied to many families to show that the Birth Order Effect is a real theory. The first-born child is more likely to be a perfectionist because they have a strong urge to want to please their parents and not do anything wrong. Later-born siblings have learned from their older siblings and their mistakes and also may feel the need to ‘out do’ their older siblings. This causes them to be more adventurous along with having a more outgoing personality. Later-born children may also have a more sentimental and sensitive personality due to the amount of attention they receive from the parents by being the baby in the family. However, when there are two later-born siblings, the youngest sibling gets babied the most and in many cases, the middle siblings gets left out. This is largely due to the amount of attention the parents give to each of their children. The oldest child, in many cases, gets a great

A study was done on a group of more than 20,000 people. This study found a strong correlation between intelligence and birth order (Saxena.) First-borns, being perfectionists, have more of a drive to want to do everything right. This drive leads them to study more in school, do more homework, and read. These practices result in high grades. First-born children also have a great deal of attention from their parents when they need help with school work. These two aspects help to develop more intelligent children. Second-born children however, do not get the amount of undivided attention from the parents for help with school work. They are also easily distracted and can be drawn away from their school work. This may happen if their older sibling has an event, such as a sporting event or educational ceremony, which they do not want to miss. This time that is spent at the event along with the attention that the parents are not giving to the second-born child most likely results in a lower intelligence level. In some families, the later-born children may have and older sibling that has a very high intelligence level, the later-born sibling may get the feeling that they are not able to be as smart as their older sibling. This may destroy their confidence in school and result in lower intelligence