The Effects of Birth Order

A child’s position in the sequence of brothers and sisters is of very great significance for the course of his later life” (Sigmund Freud). Freud was the first psychotherapist to discover that the order of one’s birth is directly related to their personality. Every child acts differently due to the attention they receive from their parents, siblings, family, friends, and society. Even though children are born into the same family, researchers have found that there are strengths, as well as weaknesses inbuilt in each birth position.
The first child is like a first love that can never be duplicated. They are the focus of the parents hopes and dreams, which molds the child into what is known as the “first child syndrome.” Because of the close relationship with their parents, the first born receives in full force their love, standards, attitudes and values. The first child syndrome focuses on achievement and success. They feel extremely obligated to fulfill their parents dr...