Birth Order’s Affect
on Personality
Notes for paper that goes with
Unit 5 Ch 14
Taken from: The Birth Order Book
By Dr. Kevin Leman
Activity: Birth order’s influence
on personality
• You are going to write a paper on how your birth order
has shaped your personality AND the personality of
someone else in your family or a close friend who has a
different birth order than you do. Explain how your
birth order’s characteristics apply to you and him/her
and if some don’t, explain why. Provide examples from
your lives to elaborate. If you are a 1st born or only
child, you must write about someone else who is a
middle child or baby (because 1st borns and only
children are very similar). You are only writing about
YOURSELF and 1 OTHER PERSON.
• This paper must be at least 3 pages typed (I suggest
1½-2 pages about yourself and 1-1½ pages about the
other person. Times New Roman size 12 font.
• Double space.
• Do not alter the margins.
• Worth 100 points!!!
st
1
Borns
• “Guinea pigs” for parents
• Learn from adults. Due to lots of attention, they often
develop a lot of confidence.
• 2 types: The nurturers/caregivers (eager to please and often taken
advantage of) and the aggressive (assertive and strong-willed)
• Thrive on being in control, on time, and organized
• High achievers
• Leaders – often serious
• Precise and picky
• Sticklers for rules – put pressure on themselves
• Take the brunt of the blame and discipline
• Analytical – love to ask questions and strong powers of concentration
• Judge themselves by what others think of them
• Critical
• Perfectionists – hate mistakes, can lead to procrastination due to a
fear of failure (may become fearful, anxious, depressed, + have
feelings of guilt)
• May mask it w/ a messy desk or something similar, but they
still usually know where everything is.
Only Children
• “Super 1st borns” – make sure to look at 1st
born notes
• More confident and articulate
• Logical and scholarly
• Self-centered – didn’t have to share
attention or toys growing up
Middle Children
• Hardest to generalize – too many possibilities
• Each child is usually most influenced by the next oldest
child – usually goes off in a different direction (especially if
they are the same gender) UNLESS they feel they can
successfully compete – if they do, role reversal may occur
where the 2nd born takes on the characteristics of the 1st
born and vice versa.
• Often feel left out – tend to find lots of friends
• Most secretive of all birth orders
• Probably embarrass easily
• Likely mentally tough and independent
• Learn to negotiate and compromise
• Paradox: may be a quiet loner or friendly and outgoing,
impatient or laid-back, very competitive or not competitive,
rebel or peacemaker, aggressive or avoids conflict.
Babies
• Love attention and making people laugh
• Entertainers
• Outgoing
• Charming
• Sometimes absentminded
• Carefree and vivacious
• Often act before thinking
• Rebellious
• Temperamental
• Spoiled
• Manipulators
• Impatient
• Feel like they’re not taken seriously
• Feel like they live in older siblings’ shadows
• Have an “I’ll show them!” attitude
• Suckers for praise
• Good salesmen
Possible Exceptions
• Role reversal – see middle child notes
• Spacing – after more than 5 yrs of separation, a new birth
order is often established
• Genetics
• Sibling death/serious illness – if it occurs early, the next
sibling may be “bumped up” to the next birth order
• Adoptions – depends on when it occurs
• Birth order position of the parents – first born parents
tend to run a tighter ship
• Blending of families – stepsiblings may influence birth order
if the families merge when the children are still very young
• Gender of the siblings – lower birth order siblings may have
many 1st born characteristics if they are the 1st male or
female in their families
• Multiple births – twins/triplets skew any order. If twins,
the one who is “older” usually makes sure everyone knows it
+ takes on older child characteristics + the other acts more
like a baby.
Grading:
• 20 points:
• Grammar, spelling (minus 1 point for every 3 minor
errors + 1 point for every major error I notice).
• 20 points:
• Organization
• 60 points:
• Content – accurately described how
characteristics applied OR explained why they
didn’t.
• Minus 20% if not typed.
• Plus 10% for 1 day early.
Minus 50% for 1 day late.
No credit after 1 day late!!!