"Frequently, the oldest sibling in the family is the parent-pleaser, the responsible one who obeys the parental standards. The younger sibling tends to be the rebel, a free spirit who prefers the company and admiration of his peers. The first child grows up, takes a conventional job, and settles down near Mom and Dad, while the younger sibling goes off to live in the hip-shabby neighborhoods of New York and Los Angeles. (See: page 11)
Have you observed this dynamic in your own or other families?
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In "Born to Rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives", Frank J. Salloway studied the effects of birth order through the statistical analysis of 6566 people.
ReplyDeleteHe found, generally, that firstborn children tend to identify strongly with their parents and try to emulate their parents to get their parents' attention. Because of this, firstborn children have the tendency to be conservative and respectful of authority.
On the other hand, younger siblings need to be different from the oldest child, which requires them to become more creative as the number of children increases in a family. Consequently, later born children tend to be more open to experience and change and become rebellious.
Salloway argues that although birth order is important, it is never determining because other the interaction of other factors, such as sex, class, race temperament, conflict with parents, and age gaps between siblings, with the effects of birth order, sometimes reducing and sometimes increasing them.