Does Birth Order Play A Role With Personality?

CLEVELAND - April 10 is National Siblings Day.

If you have siblings, you might have heard the theory that your birth order could play a role in your personality. 

But is that actually true? 

“Birth order is just one piece of the puzzle. The development of personality is a complex mix of genetics, parenting style and your environment,” explained Susan Albers, PsyD, psychologist at Cleveland Clinic. 

Dr. Albers said while birth order doesn’t define an individual, there are personality traits that seem to be common among each of the groups. 

For example, first born children tend to be leaders, successful, and perfectionistic, while middle children are natural negotiators. 

They are highly adaptive because they know how to navigate between siblings.

The youngest are often creative, risk takers and may even be more relaxed due to their environment.

“It is helpful for parents to understand birth order theory because it helps them to be more mindful of the unconscious ways in which they may have different expectations for their children or allocate attention. It's a reminder that each child is an individual, not just a role that they play in the family,” said Dr. Albers.

So, what about only children? 

Dr. Albers said they are usually a lot like first born children when it comes to maturity and independence.