Do You Believe in Birth Order Theory?

First introduced by psychologist Alfred Alder, birth order theory states that the order in which children are born shapes their personality and general life outcomes. Even if we haven’t studied this idea in depth, we’ve probably all heard statements like “You seem like an only child” or “Were you the oldest?” There are certain expectations that many people hold when it comes to birth order and personality traits, but are they rooted in truth? To investigate, I asked several Andrews students (including several psychology majors) about their opinions regarding this theory. 

I’m the oldest child, but I don't necessarily believe in birth order theory because it’s kind of like astrology; it doesn’t really have a strong basis. People in families generally have different responsibilities depending on their order, I guess, but saying things like older people are better leaders or things like that doesn’t really make sense to me. The expectations are definitely different for siblings and being raised under these expectations can of course shape your personality. However, when it comes to strong personality differences, I just doubt how true that is. I don't think it affects me very much because in the real world someone’s birth order is sometimes the last thing you learn about them and most people just take in other people’s personality traits as they are. I don’t think people should believe in immutable things. 

Bailey Young (senior, accounting)

In my family, my older brother is very assertive and organized. I am the middle child and see myself as more quiet and creative, and my younger sister is more laid back and outgoing. In sibling sets of 3, I have definitely seen this trend more often than not, and I believe that these characteristics arise based on duty and parental attitude in raising their children.

Chris Inae (senior, mechanical engineering)

I think that maybe not personality-wise, but it affects children because of the split responsibilities. First children usually experience things first and other children learn from them and face less pressure. I'm the youngest, and a lot of parents are stricter with older children and get more laid back, so I think I had less pressure than my older brothers did but I'm also the only girl, so that might be a factor with different pressure.

Elise Inae (sophomore, medical laboratory science)

Yeah, definitely. I thought that was factual, is it not? It’s a real theory in psychology. Actually, maybe it doesn’t since it’s based on biases and stereotypes? I have two older brothers and I’m the youngest, and the stereotype for youngest children is that they’re spoiled. I wasn’t spoiled so maybe it’s not true. 

Reagan Westerman (sophomore, psychology)

I’m the youngest, but I don’t really know if I believe in it. I believe that I’m the youngest. 

Omar Sanchez (sophomore, psychology and Spanish)

Oh, I mean, it probably has less to do with the kids and more to do with parents and expectations. When you have a kid for the first time, you really don't know what you're doing. I think your parents have a lot of different cultural expectations. But ultimately, you kind of transfer a lot of that when you don't know what's going on. And then when you have a second kid, if you have more children, you imprint these responsibilities onto the first kid because, relatively, they are “grown.” I feel like a lot of parents have a tendency to kind of dump a little more responsibility on them, put more responsibility in their hands just because you’re older than this kid now relatively and so you should be able to take care of them. For example, my sister is eighteen, but she's been using the “younger sister” excuse for like eight years now. I didn't get that excuse when I was 18, but once you're older than your other siblings, then it is your job to act like the older one. Even if you're not that old in reality. 

Torrey Joo (senior, psychology)

I don't know a lot about the science of it, and in a not super serious way I'll make jokes about it. But I've not read enough serious literature on it to make more concrete generalizations about why people act the way they do. 

Nora Martin (senior, English and psychology)

Well, I have two younger siblings and there's probably some truth to it. I feel like my parents were a lot more strict with me and expected more maturity and to take on a more leadership role whereas with my brother, he's the stereotype of the forgotten child left to his own devices. And my sister is the golden child who can do no wrong in my parents’ eyes. So for my own siblings and I, there's some truth to it. There are always exceptions, though.

Dallas Dunn (senior, public health)