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First borns experience being the youngest child in the family and last borns eventually experience being the only child remaining in the family; middle children never have any of the benefits of only children or youngest children. As a result, middle children tend to seek attention more than either first borns or last borns, even to the extent of criminal deviance (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008; Kluger, 2007).
The Theoretical Basis of Birth Order Influence
The three main explanations for the influence of birth order on human personality development are (1) physiological factors, (2) better access to parental resources, and (3) the cognitive effects of their experiences as only children first and then as surrogate parents (in many respects) to their younger siblings (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2007). According to physiologists, mother's milk is richest in nutrients and beneficial growth factors after their first pregnancy and their testosterone level highest during gestation. Behaviorists report that first born children receive greater parental attention...
Finally, psychologists suggest that first borns tend to have higher self-esteem because of their experiences as surrogate caretakers for their siblings and higher intelligence because of the cognitive effects of having to supervise and teach younger siblings while helping parents care for them (Travis & Kohli, 1995).
References:
Gerrig, R., and Zimbardo, P. (2008). Psychology and Life. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Hockenbury, D., and Hockenbury, S. (2007). Discovering Psychology. New York:
Worth Publishing.
Kluger, J. "The power of birth order" Time; October 17, 2007.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17492138.html
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