The Effects That Being a First Born Can Have on Personality
Pamee Sapasap
San Joaquin Delta College
The Effects That Being a First-Born Can Have on Personality It is a common belief that birth order has some effect on personality. The extent of this effect and whether or not it is scientifically valid has been argued between psychologists and theorists alike. There are many variables at play in this situation, all of which could produce different results such as: sex of the children, age differences, parenting styles, family history, step-siblings, and the age and competency of the parents. Regardless of these variables, most people have come to the conclusion that there are some defining characteristics of first-born …show more content…
There are numerous factors that play a role in how intelligent a person is. However, there is evidence that indicates that first-borns are more likely to succeed academically than middle-born, or last-born children. Haltiwanger (2015) stated that, “According to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), firstborn children do better than their younger siblings in school.” A feasible explanation for this phenomenon is that parents are stricter with their first-born kids than their other children. This also ties in with the argument that first-borns are expected to be role models for their younger siblings. The difference in academic performance between a first-born and a last-born child is caused by how parents react to the grades that their children receive. For some parents, a B would be acceptable for their youngest child but not for their eldest. This causes first-borns to perform better in school. According to Haltiwanger, another potential reason why first-born children tend to be stronger academically is that, “ . . . they grow smarter by teaching their younger siblings. If you can teach, then you can certainly understand and value the power of knowledge” (2015). Once again, this goes back to the point that first-borns are examples for the other children in their family and are expected to guide their siblings. Since they have already studied the material and taken the class, the eldest child is expected to assist their siblings with schoolwork. It is not that birth order directly determines whether or not we are reckless, responsible, disagreeable, or academically successful. It is how people, primarily parents, treat their children based on their birth order that causes them to develop certain
Pamee Sapasap
San Joaquin Delta College
The Effects That Being a First-Born Can Have on Personality It is a common belief that birth order has some effect on personality. The extent of this effect and whether or not it is scientifically valid has been argued between psychologists and theorists alike. There are many variables at play in this situation, all of which could produce different results such as: sex of the children, age differences, parenting styles, family history, step-siblings, and the age and competency of the parents. Regardless of these variables, most people have come to the conclusion that there are some defining characteristics of first-born …show more content…
There are numerous factors that play a role in how intelligent a person is. However, there is evidence that indicates that first-borns are more likely to succeed academically than middle-born, or last-born children. Haltiwanger (2015) stated that, “According to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), firstborn children do better than their younger siblings in school.” A feasible explanation for this phenomenon is that parents are stricter with their first-born kids than their other children. This also ties in with the argument that first-borns are expected to be role models for their younger siblings. The difference in academic performance between a first-born and a last-born child is caused by how parents react to the grades that their children receive. For some parents, a B would be acceptable for their youngest child but not for their eldest. This causes first-borns to perform better in school. According to Haltiwanger, another potential reason why first-born children tend to be stronger academically is that, “ . . . they grow smarter by teaching their younger siblings. If you can teach, then you can certainly understand and value the power of knowledge” (2015). Once again, this goes back to the point that first-borns are examples for the other children in their family and are expected to guide their siblings. Since they have already studied the material and taken the class, the eldest child is expected to assist their siblings with schoolwork. It is not that birth order directly determines whether or not we are reckless, responsible, disagreeable, or academically successful. It is how people, primarily parents, treat their children based on their birth order that causes them to develop certain