Birth Order’s Effect on Personality

Birth Order’s Effect on Personality
Environment determines to some extent the personality of a person. There are numerous factors in the environment which could determine variations in the personalities of different individuals. There are factors which are inherent to the environment and there are those determined by the manner by which individuals enter into a particular environment. In much the same way, how an infant’s entrance into the world determines in large part how parents and others will respond. In this paper particular view will be taken on the matter of timing that an infant is born.
When an infant is born determines in large part the emotions of his or her parents and relatives.
Biological and Psychological Birth Order
Before a discussion on the particular characteristics of individuals belonging to particular birth orders can be had, there is a need to define the two types of birth orders. These types are more means of classifying perspectives through which birth order’s effects on personality may be seen. The first type has to do with actual ranking of siblings based on age. Biological birth order takes the narrow and literal perspective as regards the ranking of siblings belonging to a family (Sulloway, 2001). Thus, it is the singular factor of sequential arrangement of sibling birth that is focused on as the determinant of personality development.
In this regard biological birth takes little to no concern with the other factors that may be present in the family environment. Because biological birth order has such a limited view on the factors determining the development of personality, it does little to account for extraneous factors which every individual has to deal with. As a result, little argumentation may be made on the basis of other social contexts in which the child finds him or herself in. The studies focusing on biological birth have used methodologies frequently questioned as to causality of the two factors studied, namely birth order and personality.
Alternatively, the study of psychological birth order takes into consideration the perceived role that an individual occupies in the family sphere (Stewart et al., 2001).