Understanding the middle child personality is the key to successfully parenting these kids. Their desire to stand out in the family and to be heard can result in specific personality characteristics. For instance, if parents coddle the youngest child, celebrating him or her as their last, they might be affectionate, especially with parents.Īccording to theorists, middle children often feel like they fall between the cracks, garnering less attention than their older and younger siblings. Parents may treat the youngest differently as well, which can have an impact on how their personality develops. At the other end of the spectrum, the youngest child enters the family last, needing to share the parents with other siblings from the start. Another researcher, Frank Sulloway, noted that first-born children are hardworking and organized but can be more prone to anxiety. Adler, for example, contended that first-born children may develop neurotic tendencies after their younger sibling is born because they are jolted by the need to have to suddenly share their parents. Much of the thought around this birth order concept revolves around how each child responds to the addition of other siblings. In other words, researchers don’t always agree on what personality type each birth position has. Other researchers have agreed with this concept, but they did not come to a consensus about how this dynamic impacts each child. He first proposed that the changing family dynamic impacts how a child’s personality develops over time.
In fact, it’s one that dates back to Adler in the early 20th century. This theory about birth order and personality isn’t a new concept. Learn more about birth order theory, middle child syndrome, and effective strategies to parent kids with an older sibling and a younger one. While this certainly isn’t a diagnosable medical condition or personality disorder, it is instead a phrase used to describe the traits of middle children, some of which may be particularly challenging to parent. Because some of these traits can be difficult to manage, the term middle child syndrome developed. Over time, both proponents and detractors of this theory have conducted their own research, with some highlighting distinct personality traits based on birth order and others believing that a variety of other factors come into play when determining a child’s personality.Īdler’s birth order theory also highlighted several personality traits specific to middle children. Adler believed that oldest children carried certain traits, as did middle children and youngest children. Psychiatrist Alfred Adler introduced the concept of birth order and how it can impact personality.
Some factors come to them innately, while others are developed out of their environment. A child’s personality stems from a variety of factors.
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