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How Does Birth Order Affect Self-Esteem

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Does birth order affect our personality in terms of self-esteem? For years there have been arguments as to whether there is a significant relationship regarding birth order among siblings on the level of self-esteem. Birth order is broadly researched and it is a questionable concept in psychology which has attracted much arguments throughout the history. According to Schulman and Mosak (1977), there are two definitions of birth order in two different perspectives. In the general perspective, birth order is referred as the actual birth order among siblings whereas in the psychological perspective, it is correlated with the role adopted by the child in their interaction with others. Since Alfred Adler’s idea is applied in 1918, birth order has been a dependable standard variable in psychological research. Alfred Adler was the first who proposed that birth order influences personality. He argued that birth order can usually leave an enduring …show more content…

According to Maslow (1943), esteem needs refers to the need for respect, self-esteem and self-confidence. Esteem needs are the basis for the human desire everyone has to be accepted and appreciated by others. Issues regarding self-esteem can be caused if an individual’s esteem needs are not achieved. As a result of low self-esteem, one might look for respect from others in order to advance his view of himself. However, if one’s self-esteem is overly high, he may not appreciate the way of others view him. Schawb and Lundgren who conducted two studies in 1978, included 82 males and 82 females students questioned about their self-esteem as well as public-esteem. The results showed that first-born child has higher self-esteem than late-born children. The second study was similar but examined possible differences between both genders. Self-esteem was still higher among first-born children regardless of

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