For years, the scientific community has been interested in the relationship between personality traits and the birth order of siblings, after all, can the birth order of the brothers condition their personality?
Early studies, and many, focused on the relationship between birth order and certain physical characteristics, including vulnerability to certain diseases. The results of these initial studies were mostly unfinished.
- By 1930.
- Concerns about physical characteristics aroused interest in the degree of adaptation.
- But obtained equally confusing results.
- (1).
For example, in 1983, Ernst and Angst reviewed approximately 1,500 articles on birth order and personality characteristics. In this article, the authors conclude that reports on the effects of birth warrant so far have been greatly exaggerated.
Apparently, there is evidence of some physical differences just before and shortly after birth.
They also show some differences in socialization compared to unborn seconds:
When it comes to academic performance and professional success, the differences are also very modest. Firstborns of small families and younger children tend to have a higher level of education and higher professional status than average children.
However, Ernst and Angst argue that when proper controls are applied, the order of birth is not related to IQ, academic performance or mental health, nor to anxiety and dependence of these characteristics.
Thus, the authors Ernst and Angst (1983) questioned the relationship between birth order and personality traits, however, a little later, in 1996, author Frank J. Sulloway published the book Born to Rebel, in which the author proposes that the Effects of birth order come from sibling competition while fighting for a common family niche.
According to this author, firstborns have the first choice of niche, so they tried to please their parents in the traditional way through academic success and responsible behavior, but as more siblings arrive, firstborns face threats to their natural priority in the hierarchy. of brother’s condition.
The resulting adult personality would be meticulous and conservative, those born later will have to resist the superior status of the firstborn, while looking for alternative ways to differentiate the therself in the eyes of their parents, as a result, they will develop an adult personality marked by an empathetic interpersonal style, a struggle for uniqueness and political opinions that are both egalitarian and anti-authoritarian.
Sulloway focused on organizing his research on the subject considering the big five model (Goldberg 1990); from there, authors such as Paulhus, Trapnell and Chen (1999) study the effects of birth order and in their studies found that:
A little later, in 2003, authors Saroglou and Fiasse conducted more research in this area, in their study, the authors surveyed 122 young adults from families with three siblings and obtained the following results in terms of sibling order and personality:
Apparently, the birth warrant of the siblings may have something to do with their personality, all studies on the subject conclude that more research is needed in this area, so future research should take into account variables that could not be controlled in previous research. clearer results could be obtained on the subject.