Order of Birth Poll

[Adelheid]

I had an Idea, after reading scherazade's "10 things we did not know this time last week", and that is to find out how many of us are 1st borns or 2nd borns, 3rd borns and so forth...

I'm a first-born. Oh, and by the way, you can be a first born but 2nd child if you are the first girl, and your older sibling/s are boys, and vise versa.

[papayahed]

Hey, what about only born? Would I be a first born or a last born? Which is better?

[imthefoolonthehill]

there is no last born option, otherwise i would have chosen that.

[Mark F.]

I'm unique ;)

[Bianca Fransen]

Haha.. I am very ordinary in this poll.. first-born.

[AimusSage]

I am the second child after my sister who was born two years before me.

I am also the last born.

I am considered to be the creative and unstable one so I fit the picture nicely.

[mono]

Interesting thread, Adelheid. :)
I categorize as the second-born - a middle child between two brothers; strangely, despite being older than one, both of my brothers stand much taller than me. :p

[Monica]

I voted second-born but I just realised I'm a third-born. I have a 4 year older brother but I also had a sister. She was 8 years older than me and she died the very day of her birth, so I never knew her and that's why I forgot that I'm 3rd born.

[RococoLocket]

I'm an only child, so I picked first born, if that counts :)

[NNoah3]

I am first-born but second child.

[GruesomeBugman]

well, I didn't suspect I'd be the first third-born to vote here, but there you have it.

[Adelheid]

Great! Now we do know why some people answer posts the way they do...

A study has been done on First-Borns, Second Borns and Third Borns.

1. A first born (or 1st born, 2nd child- it's the same)
They have a greater capacity to respond to Authority. That is why most astronauts chosen are 1st borns, because a lot of trust has been placed on them, and the leaders of the country needs to be assured that it has fallen into good and capable hands.

2. Second Borns
Second borns are usually very loyal, trusting and sensitive. They need more care from others, so that you don't hurt their feelings.

3. Third Borns
These people are independant, sociable and have the unique ability to persuade people. Don't know why... :D

As for the 4th, 5th, 6th borns etc, their characteristics follow the same order. i.e. 4th borns usually follows the characteristics of a first-born, the 5th born child, the 2nd , and the 6th born, the 3rd, and so on.

Anybody got any other things to add regarding this "characteristics"? ;)

[mono]

Interesting, Adelheid. I remember studying very similar material in personality and developmental college psychology courses, including theories by Alfred Adler, who first thought of the birth-order theory. I managed to find a small article, speaking of first, second, and third children. Adler, a neo-Freudian, also managed to develop some theories of twins, only children, and children born with significant numbers of years between them; unfortunately, however, I could not find very reliable sources on the Internet.

Birth Order. Simply put, Adler believed that the order in which you are born to a family inherently effects your personality. First born children who later have younger siblings may have it the worst. These children are given excessive attention and pampering by their parents until that fateful day when the little brother or sister arrives. Suddenly they are no longer the center of attention and fall into the shadows wondering why everything changed. According to Adler, they are left feeling inferior, questioning their importance in the family, and trying desperately to gain back the attention they suddenly lost. The birth order theory holds that first born children often have the greatest number of problems as they get older.

Middle born children may have it the easiest, and interestingly, Adler was a middle born child. These children are not pampered as their older sibling was, but are still afforded the attention. As a middle child, they have the luxury of trying to dethrone the oldest child and become more superior while at the same time knowing that they hold this same power over their younger siblings. Adler believed that middle children have a high need for superiority and are often able to seek it out such as through healthy competition.

The youngest children, like the first born, may be more likely to experience personality problems later in life. This is the child who grows up knowing that he has the least amount of power in the whole family. He sees his older siblings having more freedom and more superiority. He also gets pampered and protected more than any other child did. This could leave him with a sense that he can not take on the world alone and will always be inferior to others.
(http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/adler.html)

[Adelheid]

Hey, what about only born? Would I be a first born or a last born? Which is better?

sorry, only borns.... I guess I forgot about those of you :rolleyes: ...never occurred to me. :D Well i think you'd qualify under firstborns anyhow. :lol:

[Adelheid]

thanks, mono... that's interesting. I think it makes sense, huh? Does the 2 studies somehow link together though?

[mono]

thanks, mono... that's interesting. I think it makes sense, huh? Does the 2 studies somehow link together though?
Yes, much of it makes sense. Nearly all studies based on birth-order, psychology has based on Alfred Adler, but he has suffered as much criticism as praise, it seems. I wish I could find better sources on the Internet to share more details of his theories, but I think the best source lies in psychology textbooks, and the like. ;)

[Stanislaw]

1st born, now if were counting sex as well, I am the first and last born male child.

[Sancho]

numero dos

chico

[Koa]

I'm a first born all the way. I'm the first child of my parents, I'm the first grandchild of my grandparents on both side, my brother is 7 years and 5 months younger than me, my cousins are 8 and 14 years younger than me (I have a cousin who's only 3 years younger than me but we've never been that close to that side of the family and now we're not at all. I also have some distant cousins who are a couple of years older than me but they live in the south and I used to meet them only in the summer, havent seen them for years now).

Wow, it occurs me only now, maybe that's why I'm a sort of independent-at-all-costs person? I have to show I'm the big one ;) :D

[dejosc]

um im very confused as i dont have a clue what i am i am the fourth child my parents bore i have 2 brothersand 1 sister in the order brother,sister,brother and then me. I sound very stupid

[Themis]

@Dejosc: You would be a fourth born second child, I guess. Only I never heard of that kind of thing before, so I am a little confused myself. But I think, I am a `fourth born second child" too. The only available option in this poll is "fourth born", though, unless I missed something..

[dejosc]

ok thanks themis i just thought it might be all vitoian and count females as lower than males(not my opinion)

[samercury]

I'm a first-born and a girl... let's see don't have any brothers and 3 younger siters- they're really ANNOYING. Responsability

[Pensive]

Lol, I am the last-born (youngest) child in my family.

[Virgil]

This is an intersting thread. I don't know what Scher's original post said, but I have seen an article pointing out a statisics that first borns usually rise to positions of leadership, such as heads of corporations or military rank. Of course I point that out because I'm a first born! :D Actually I should I have voted in the twins option. I was born with a twin but he died within a few days of birth. I forget about him.

[Pensive]

This is an intersting thread. I don't know what Scher's original post said, but I have seen an article pointing out a statisics that first borns usually rise to positions of leadership.

But I have heard a very different thing and that is that the first-borns are always used to of ruling younger brothers and sisters and in future they expect the same from strangers and other people and that gets them into hot water. Theya re also lazy because they usually make their younger siblings do the work. Well, we should not believe on all that we hear. :p

[Virgil]

But I have heard a very different thing and that is that the first-borns are always used to of ruling younger brothers and sisters and in future they expect the same from strangers and other people and that gets them into hot water. Theya re also lazy because they usually make their younger siblings do the work. Well, we should not believe on all that we hear. :p
Pensive, you are wise beyond your age.

[IrishCanadian]

I'm the sisxth of seven childeren. I love my big family ... someday, I'll make it bigger --someday ...

[smilingtearz]

But I have heard a very different thing and that is that the first-borns are always used to of ruling younger brothers and sisters and in future they expect the same from strangers and other people and that gets them into hot water. Theya re also lazy because they usually make their younger siblings do the work. Well, we should not believe on all that we hear.

I disagree with my little friend here, I am a first born and i have a young sister turning 15 this May. And believe me she is the lazy one... who gets me to do all her share of work... even her "own" work...
and it isn't as if she'd politely ask me to do the work... she'll scream and turn the world upside down if i don't..
I even get to have her share of scoldings from my mum and dad

and me... I love her... and love to pamper her... so i don't really mind doing all that work..

but i must say its fun to be the elder sibling...

[Pensive]

I disagree with my little friend here, I am a first born and i have a young sister turning 15 this May. And believe me she is the lazy one... who gets me to do all her share of work... even her "own" work...
and it isn't as if she'd politely ask me to do the work... she'll scream and turn the world upside down if i don't..
I even get to have her share of scoldings from my mum and dad

and me... I love her... and love to pamper her... so i don't really mind doing all that work..

but i must say its fun to be the elder sibling...

I meant that I have heard sort of things like that but it is not necessary that I always agree on all that I hear. :D