The Birth Order Theory

Few psychological ideas have captured the popular imagination like birth order theory. Firstborns are responsible leaders. Middle children are diplomatic peacemakers. Youngest children are rebellious charmers. Only children are spoiled loners.

But are they? The relationship between birth order and personality has been debated for over a century, since Alfred Adler first proposed that your position in the family shapes your character.

The answer, as modern research reveals, is more nuanced than either fans or skeptics claim. Birth order does have measurable effects, but they are smaller and more specific than popular accounts suggest.