One of the first people to suggest that birth order has an effect on personality was an Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler – according to Wikipedia. A contemporary of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, he argued that the way in which each of us tackles the major aspects of life – friendship, love, and work – is greatly influenced by our birth order in the family. Read on for more insight on birth order, especially for the middle child.
Are All Eldest Children High Achievers?
It seems to be widely accepted – as I wrote in my post on eldest child syndrome – that the first baby to be born into a family will grow up with a tendency to be analytical, methodical, and high-achieving. Whether every first-born adheres to these attributes is debatable, not least because as a first-born, myself, I show none of these traits. Creative, naturally flexible and spontaneous (though I’ve disciplined myself to be orderly where to be otherwise causes me grief), my only achievement was a No. 4 bestseller – and that crept up on me unawares!
The familyrapp website includes the following statement: this child values control. Once again, this is the very opposite of my personality. Perhaps there’s something my parents aren’t telling me, and I’m not actually the eldest child in our family?
