By 5 Things Birth Order Predicts About a Child’s Future
The birth order of your child can give you a clue about his future. Scientists suggest that birth order could have long-term effects even in adulthood. However, many people question this notion. So, let’s see what researchers say about whether birth order can predict a child’s future.
Birth order history
Alfred Adler pioneered the idea of birth order in the 19th century. Their studies indicated that the position in which a child was born in their family affected the child’s personality. Subsequent research suggested that birth order affected intelligence and career choice and somehow later success than adults. Of course, the order of birth is not as important as how parents and siblings treat a child. In addition, there are other factors that affect a child’s personality, such as
- Birth spacing
- Gender
- Physical attributes
- Be a twin
The great revelation of the birth order
Surprise!
After decades of studying the issue of birth order, researchers are now coming to the conclusion that birth order may not influence your personality or future as they previously thought. Much of the research done years ago on birth order does not match conclusively with the findings of current research. Modern scientific data findings on birth order show that it influences less than parenting or the environment. It is the reconsideration of old nature versus nurturing thinking.
There is evidence that firstborns have some advantages over other siblings simply because their parents give them more attention and time, since there are no other children around. But even with this, these intellectual advantages are probably small. That being said, there are still social customs in which the firstborn often takes over the family business or inherits the family’s money.
Scientists call the personality theory of birth order “zombie theory.This is a perception or thought that continues to advance despite the scientific data against it. The whole idea is so ingrained in the thinking of our society that it’s hard to let go.
So what are you going to believe? If you investigated the issue of birth order after 2015, you will see that scientists are beginning to move away from the idea that birth order affects a child’s life. All studies prior to 2015 support the birth order theory. The general consensus is that ancient birth order research should be viewed with caution, as it cannot be fully proven. That being said, there is some research pointing to the importance of birth order after 2015. Talk about confusion!
What birth order can you predict about your child’s future?
1 – Allergies
There seems to be a link between your child’s birth order and tendency for bronchial asthma. Children classified as later in the order of birth were at increased risk for episodes of bronchitis in early childhood. The risk decreased once the child reached school age. So the researchers believe that the influence of birth order affected the type of allergic disease that a child may have in early childhood. In addition, the physical development of the child and the development of the immune system after birth came into play.
2 – Intellect
A first-born receives preferential treatment from their parents. This one-on-one treatment could slightly affect a child’s intellect. The firstborn usually have slightly higher IQ, but this is not fully proven. Many researchers help parents provide more mental stimulation to firstborns because they have the time and energy to give it to the firstborn before other children arrive. Parents are more divided in their care once they have multiple children.
3 – Perfectionistic behavior
Some research found that firstborns are more likely to be perfectionists. For these children, parental involvement is strong. So, it is believed that this could be due to the influence of parents. The birth order only contributed to being a perfectionist, because being born first gave the parents more participation in the child’s life, since they are the only ones. It was found that more personal and social demands are placed on firstborns, leading to perfectionistic behavior.
4 – Become CEO
A National Institute of Health smayAnd in June 2020, he investigated the issue of whether first-borns are more likely to become CEO of a company. The researchers found that this is often the case not because of increased cognitive ability, but more often because of the advantages that a first-born son has with his parents. There is also no evidence that a first-born CEO performs better. The firstborn advantage could be more due to not having an older brother, but this does not appear to be the case if they had an older sister.
Social norms often dictate that firstborns be given the family business. This was especially true of the older CEOs. What is believed to be the most contributing factor in a child’s life, rather than their birth order, is their parenting environment and their parents’ choices for them. These appear to have a greater impact on a child’s later career choices.
5 – Thinness
Your child’s birth order could have something to do with his thinness. In China, scientists studied sibling size and family structure, and found that it could have an impact on being overweight or obese in children. But they had never studied whether these things could affect a child’s thinness. So they made a study in August 2020 to find out if there was an association between number of siblings, birth order, and multiple younger or older siblings, and being skinny like a boy. The results found that as the number of siblings and the order of birth increased, so did the child’s tendency to be thin. In a household with two children, the second child tends to be thinner than the oldest child.
What about only children?
So, amid the whirlwind of thoughts about birth order and its impact on a child’s future, you might be curious about where you fit in if you’re an only child. Just kids they are often misrepresented as selfish, spoiled, and lonely. A psychologist from the last century said that being an only child was a “disease.” This embarrassing statement and more like it have done a lot of damage to only children, their reputations and their parents.
Fortunately, a group of researchers in Germany He recently showed that unique children are not more likely to be narcissistic than any other child. When it comes to personality, there is no difference between an only child and those children with siblings, especially in traits such as
- Extroversion
- Maturity
- Cooperation
- Personal control
- Leadership
Only children tend to be more motivated to achieve, persevere and aspire and the ability to acclimate to situations. The fact that only children are more motivated to succeed could be why many of them pursue higher education and pursue more prestigious careers than children with siblings. As more and more families around the world choose to have only one child, it’s time to stop thinking bad about only children and their parents.
Final thoughts on birth order and your children
Birth order is a common human experience that has been studied for decades. But today’s researchers say there is little to confirm that you are who you are because of your birth order. Each person has unique traits based on who they are, not the order in which they were born. Unfortunately, the concept of birth order has affected parents and educators. It’s easy to trust anecdotal information more than science-based findings. Also, your own personal experience with the birth order in your own family may outweigh science-based studies that may disagree. There will always be a tendency to feel that birth order affects your child’s personality when it could simply be the age difference between siblings.
