Do you ever ponder how the birth order of you and your siblings has influenced and formed your personality, habits, and life decisions? Have you ever asked yourself: if I was the youngest sibling would I be better at soccer? Or if I were the oldest sibling would I make better grades in school?
Although this isn’t a perfect science, birth order has been studied by anthropologists around the world, uncovering that your birth order contributes to the formation of your personality, relationships and life trajectory.
THE OLDEST CHILD
Hello, oldest children! Being the oldest sibling can be a challenge. They’re the first to get their license, or fail. First to apply to college, first to get braces, first to get their ears pierced. The list is endless. They are essentially their parents’ trial run. This role takes immense courage, diligence and responsibility.
Oldest Sibling Strengths and Weaknesses:
They love pleasing their parents so with this they’re extremely high achieving, structured, reliable and sometimes controlling. They are often high academic achievers because their parents had higher expectations for them that they sought to reach. They are diligent go getters, with ambitious goals. With the responsibility of the rest of their younger siblings they tend to be more cautious and less spontaneous. Additionally they are excellent natural born leaders who tend to be very conscientious and generally more mature.
Possible Careers:
They are most likely to become rockstars, astronauts, scientists, engineers, or to work in government. Fun fact: 100% of the astronauts in space have been the oldest children. Will you be the next?
Words Pingree community members use to describe oldest children:
- Difficult
- Protective
- Leaders
- Mature
- Organized
Who are the oldest children compatible with?
Oldest children are most compatible with the youngest child in a family, because opposites attract. An oldest sibling’s organization and leadership balance out nicely with the youngest siblings’ carefree, adventures tendencies. These two are a perfect pair!
Famous Oldest Children:
- Taylor Swift
- Paris Hilton
- Emma Watson
- Rihanna
- Winston Churchill
- Beyonce
- Kate Middleton
- Hilary Clinton
- Luke Hemsworth
- Justin Beiber
THE MIDDLE CHILD
Hello, middle children! Now being the middle child is truly a special honor. They are lucky enough to experience having an older sibling and also have a younger sibling, which is a very unique position. They have the privilege to admire and learn from the person older than them, and also be able to lead and inspire the person younger than them. However, something specifically unique about this exciting position is that their sibling order and its effect on their personality traits has a name. Scientists call it “middle child syndrome.”
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Middle children have amiable, friendly and easy going personalities. They can easily make strong friendships; they have mature social skills and tend to be good co-workers. They are also people pleasers and seek to keep the peace. Furthermore, they are also extremely competitive and persuasive. They can more effectively negotiate with their peers to get what they want, and they seek to gain approval from their parents and therefore have a competitive instinct and edge to their personality. They are also extremely successful. They don’t let failure and adversity faze them and they are described as self-motivated and hardworking. Fifty two percent of presidents are middle children, as well as many successful entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates. However, sometimes they may feel alienated or not good enough, causing them to have low self-esteem. Furthermore, they gravitate towards rebellious, risk taking activities. With their parents’ attention more focused on their younger and older siblings, they are given more freedom, encouraging them to be more rebellious.
Possible Careers:
The most popular careers that middle children parktake in are: public service work, education, caretakers, law enforcement, and social workers. They are known to be successful. So go out into the world and prove your worth!
Words Pingree community members used to describe middle children:
- Disciplined
- Neglected
- Immature
- Funny
- Forgetful
- Competitive
Who are the middle children compatible with?
Middle children can make a good pair with a range of diverse people as their personalities strive to maintain the peace. With this their marriages are more likely to be successful. However research concludes middle children are most compatible with the youngest sibling.
Famous Middle Children:
- Bella Hadid
- Britney Spears
- Miley Cryus
- Princess Diana
- Bill Gates
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Abraham Lincoln
- Kim Kardashian
- Jennifer Aniston
THE YOUNGEST CHILD
Last but not least….. The baby! Whether they have one older brother or three older sisters, they are the youngest in the family. You grow up the fastest, can sometimes be the target in sibling quarrels, and can be accused of being the favorite or the most spoiled. They are sadly left all alone when their siblings leave for college, however they are lucky enough to have multiple siblings pave the way for them, teaching them what’s right and wrong, and hopefully serving as inspiring role models.
Strength and Weaknesses:
Youngest children have laid back, charismatic, and agreeable personalities. Usually they perceive themselves as the favorite and continue to be babies as they grow up. Because of this, they can be spoiled and self centered. They also are extremely manipulative when striving to get their way. With consistent and everlasting cottling youngest siblings lack discipline compared to other siblings. However they are very courageous and business minded. Research showed youngest siblings are 50-65% more likely to take an entrepreneurial risk than any other sibling. Furthermore, youngest siblings can always make you laugh or smile. Younger siblings are the most humorous siblings and several famous comedians are the youngest siblings. They are natural charmers and attention seekers, with outgoing and optimistic personalities, so unsurprisingly they are most likely to pursue entertainment careers.
Possible Careers:
Youngest children tend to gravitate towards careers such as journalism, sales, athletics, advertising, teachers, artists and performers. Ones where their creativity, imagination and manipulative tactics can shine through!
Words Pingree community members used to describe youngest children:
- Independent
- Silly
- Sensitive
- Spoiled
- Competitive
- Baby
- Persistent
Who are the youngest children compatible with?
Youngest children prefer people who balance them out. Being more carefree and laid back, marrying another younger child could be dysfunctional. They are also compatible with only children, as they can take charge and leadership whereas younger children will bring adventure and a laid back personality to the relationship.
Famous Youngest Children:
- Jake Gllyenhaal
- Jason Bateman
- Mark Walhberg
- Jenifer Lawerence
- Ariana Grande
- Harry Styles
- Zoey Dechanel
- Eddie Murphy
- Jim Carrey
- Kylie Jenner
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