To Read or Not To Read.

Seeing as this is a popular subject on the internet as anyone can relate to it, it’s easy to get lost in the swarm of articles that hit you once you type the words “Birth Order” into Google. So before you head out and try to do some research of your own here are some articles that will help you along and some that will just slow you down.

First, let’s start with what to stay away from.

Birth Order Personality Traits. All Sands. http://www.allsands.com/kids/birthorderpers_rgw_gn.htm

The first thing wrong with this article is that it in no way is credible. There are no references made after all that it claims, not even one author is listed. The second problem is that it didn’t even get the myth right. It did mention the basics, birth order can determine personality, but the specific personalities that go with each child were different than any of the scholarly articles that I have reviewed. Then after saying that parents mold the personalities of each child, it goes in depth on how parents should raise each child differently. I highly doubt that parents that have at least three children are going to take the time to learn how to raise each of them in different ways.

Fiasse, Laure and Saroglou, Vassilis. (2002). Birth Order, Personality, and Religion: A Study Among Young Adults from a Three-Sibling Family. Belgium.

This study focused on the differences between middle born and last born children. But I would not recommend this study because it has a factor that makes it biased. Their mother. The mother was to answer questions regarding her children and their personalities. Obviously no mother is going to participate in a study and point out the negative qualities in her children let alone say that one excels over the other. Coincidentally, in the end, the mothers said that their children were more conscientious and less neurotic when describing them according to the big five personality traits.

Freese, Jeremy; Powell, Brian; Steelman, Lala Carr. (1999). Rebel Without a Cause Effect: Birth Order and Social Attitudes. American Sociological Review; 64, 2; Research Library Core. pg. 207.

This is the perfect article to read if you want to hear the author go on and on about the study that another man performed. Unless you have read all about the study done by Sulloway and know every detail about it, you will be very lost in reading this article. The entire article talks about Sulloway’s study and after reading the first 3 or 4 pages I was surprised to find that this article was actually also study itself and not just a peer review of Sulloway. However, there was about a page worth of text that didn’t mention Sulloway, but in that text the authors mention approximately 20 other authors and studies while still not saying much of anything. Needless to say, in the end I hadn’t learned anything by reading it.

With that out of the way, we can focus on where to go to get helpful information.

Frank J. Sulloway. (2007). Birth Order and Intelligence. Psychology. Vol317.

Coincidentally, I next read a different article by Sulloway and found it a useful source. After performing a study regarding intelligence in families his results were in line with finding that the myth is true, kind of. However, the approach that he takes gives new light to the myth and brings in new ways to look at the possibilities behind the results that can prove the myth but at the same time don’t. He also finds ways to look at current standing theories in a new light. The article brings in different perspectives and I now see why the authors from the previous study talked about Sulloway so much.

Dunkel, Curtis S. , Harbke, Colin R. , Papini, Dennis R., (2009). Direct and Indirect Effects of Birth Order on Personality and Identity: Support for the Null Hypothesis. The Journal of Genetic Psychology. New York. Vol. 170, Iss. 2; pg. 159, 17 pgs.

This is a helpful article because it addresses all the variables that go along with birth order such as parent age, age gap between siblings, education level, parental investment and identification. The multiple methods used gave a better understanding of the various factors that have to be considered in the topic. The article clearly shows that adequate time and effort went into the study in order to ensure that all variables are accounted for. It is specific and to the point and easy to follow along when reading.

Dixon, Melissa M., Reyes, Carla J., Leppert, Mark F., and Pappas, Lisa M., (2007). Personality and Birth Order in Large Families. Salt Lake City.

If you want information that will better suit a large family this is the article to read. It didn’t stick to the same structure as the rest with only three children but rather focused on families with six or more children and compared the oldest three to the youngest three. From the start it was clear the position that was being taken on the subject and is more structured than the rest. This article also didn’t ignore the information that disputed its theory but rather included it in the findings.

Skolnik, Deborah. Does Birth Order Matter? What Every Person Needs to Know. (2007). CNN Health. http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/family/10/12/par.birth.order/index.html

This article is all about birth order and the parenting styles that parents should take when dealing with each child. One of the previous articles I posted was in the “not that” section based on the fact that it told parents how to parent their children according to the order each was born in. So why is this one different? This one is different because the advice it gives is to do nothing different. Treat them all the same and parent them all the same. Children are impressionable and if parents treat them according to how they assume they will end up, there is a great chance that they will end up that way.

Chen, David., Paulhus, Delroy L., and Trapnell, Paul D. (1999). Birth Order Effects on Personality and Achievements Within Families. Psychology Science. Blackwell Publishing.

I would recommend this study first of all because it is highly credible. Second of all, the study was conducted in a way different than most of the others. Instead of sitting everyone down and having them take personality tests for hours, each sibling rated each other. In the end, the results do support the notion that birth order determines personality traits, but still, at least they had a legit way to perform the study rather than answering questions about yourself that you may lie on to look better.