Birth Order Report
Running head: BIRTH ORDER REPORT
Birth Order Report
Ruthie Stark - Redman
Grand Canyon University
PSY 255 – Personality Psychology
Professor, Cassandra King - Henry
Birth Order Report
The usefulness of birth order as a construct would be beneficial to determine whether or not an individual is predisposed to have a tendency toward maladaptive perfectionism or non-perfectionism, which would provide insight for those who desire to ‘know” who an individual is whether it is associated with counseling, personal, or professional concerns. However, the birth order theories are not always applicable to all, for there are exceptions.
Alfred Adler’s theory of birth order, was partly based on his own ailing childhood experiences, which almost everyone has, unless they are an only child, his original theory consisted of a belief that people strive to overcome organ deficiencies (physical weaknesses) or psychological deficiencies, which he later revised and called it “striving for superiority;” Alder also introduced the concept of the “inferiority complex,” which occurs when an individual cannot compensate for his/her deficiencies (GCU, n.d.). Adler was the first theorist to emphasize the role of “birth order” in shaping one’s personality, based on the parental influence associated with personality development (Burger, 2008).
Alder further suggests that firstborn children are subjected to excessive attention due to being the firstborn, with all the “whistles and bells ringing” in order to welcome the much anticipated new addition to the family; and with the arrival of the second child, the firstborn’s perception of inferiority complex is likely to be strong, due to being dethroned, I agree (Burger, 2008). I am the second child in my family and I distinctly remember the times when my older sister would remind me that she was born first and was entitled to whatever she wanted first, even the cereal box and milk, on occasions, however, she was beneficial
Birth Order Report
Ruthie Stark - Redman
Grand Canyon University
PSY 255 – Personality Psychology
Professor, Cassandra King - Henry
Birth Order Report
The usefulness of birth order as a construct would be beneficial to determine whether or not an individual is predisposed to have a tendency toward maladaptive perfectionism or non-perfectionism, which would provide insight for those who desire to ‘know” who an individual is whether it is associated with counseling, personal, or professional concerns. However, the birth order theories are not always applicable to all, for there are exceptions.
Alfred Adler’s theory of birth order, was partly based on his own ailing childhood experiences, which almost everyone has, unless they are an only child, his original theory consisted of a belief that people strive to overcome organ deficiencies (physical weaknesses) or psychological deficiencies, which he later revised and called it “striving for superiority;” Alder also introduced the concept of the “inferiority complex,” which occurs when an individual cannot compensate for his/her deficiencies (GCU, n.d.). Adler was the first theorist to emphasize the role of “birth order” in shaping one’s personality, based on the parental influence associated with personality development (Burger, 2008).
Alder further suggests that firstborn children are subjected to excessive attention due to being the firstborn, with all the “whistles and bells ringing” in order to welcome the much anticipated new addition to the family; and with the arrival of the second child, the firstborn’s perception of inferiority complex is likely to be strong, due to being dethroned, I agree (Burger, 2008). I am the second child in my family and I distinctly remember the times when my older sister would remind me that she was born first and was entitled to whatever she wanted first, even the cereal box and milk, on occasions, however, she was beneficial
References: Burger, J.M., (2008). Personality (7th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth-Thomson Learning. Ashby, J.S., et al, (2003). The Relationship of Multidimensional Perfectionism to Psychology Birth Order, Retrieved February 18, 2012 from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~bdyrepsyc2181survey02/ashby.pdf [Figures – note that this page does not have the manuscript header and page number]