Birth order and personality

[Creepy-]

Does your personality match what researchers say you are probably like based on your birth order?

Oldest child
Middle child
Youngest child
Only child
Twin

[Mediator Kam]

I hope this isn't some sort of Forer page lolol, because I am an oldest child and I agree with 90% of what was said.

about compliant type.

[tereg]

I'm of the compliant type of firstborns.

The description sounds reasonably well to me.

[redbaron]

to some degree, yes. but more when compared to my younger brother (who is also IEI). I think birth order doesn't completely override personality type but it does slant it and create a certain atmosphere in the family.

My ESE husband is the baby of his family but when he's with MY family, he totally acts like the first born (ultra responsible, asks what he can do to help, takes a leading role, is more aggressive, etc). But put him in his OWN family, and he acts like the baby. lol it's hilarious.

[Creepy-]

I hope this isn't some sort of Forer page lolol, because I am an oldest child and I agree with 90% of what was said.

about compliant type.

The same thought occurred to me as I read the descriptions, but I think overall the description of the oldest child fits me best too.

[jessica129]

I'm the middle and that was just about 100% accurate.

[FDG]

I'm the oldest, and this one I think was quite accurate.

[Creepy-Diana]

.

[Not A Communist Shill]

It's all bullshit.

I do worry that I have always dominated and overshadowed my brother, but the Oldest Child description isn't really me.

[Elro]

I'm an only child and voted yes, but it's more like "fair". I agree with all the things, but some I have to twist a little to make fit: I became mentally mature well before most of my peers, but I'm still somewhat immature for my age even now (in the sense of sometimes I do things that people my age "aren't supposed to do anymore"). I get along well with adults, use their language, and initially preferred their company (though now, not always... moreso people my age now). I'm fairly responsible considering, and self-centered in that I think of things in relation to myself more often than most, I think... I beat myself up when I make mistakes, which might be considered perfectionism. I don't think I have difficulty sharing, usually.

Others, though... bolded=wrong, italicized=not sure
Trust their own opinion, prompt, ambitious, enterprising, energetic, set goals, good problem solvers, and ambitious.

Self-Centered, fearful of trying new things, criticize themselves and others, worry too much, feel they are always right, inflexible, and too busy to see the big picture.

Do not like to be told what to do, often stray from team work situations, or take too much of the responsibility. May not respond well to criticisism, and therefore may not improve on areas that are flawed.

I think overall Middle-Born fits me a bit better (the first variant moreso than the second).

My dad is the firstborn in his family and is pretty clearly the Compliant 1st child variant.

[xyz]

Everything was inaccurate until I got to the "strengths vs weaknesses" part.

[Wynch]

I didn't fit into one or the other of Compliant or Aggressive of the Oldest, but the rest of the points made are certainly true.

I actually think these things make an interesting examination. My full brother was once the youngest and at 9 he ended up with two younger half-brothers and I would say it drastically changed his attitude.

[Slacker]

Fairly accurate as far as "middle child #2" goes, but there might be a bit of the Forer effect involved.

[munenori2]

The oldest child compliant seemed to fit on a few levels. The twin description seemed 90% bs imo.

[Wynch]

The oldest child compliant seemed to fit on a few levels. The twin description seemed 90% bs imo.

You just can't stand to hear yourself called a follower. Admit it!



Actually, the twin description described several of the sets of twins I know. I can only think of one exception

[munenori2]

You just can't stand to hear yourself called a follower. Admit it!



Actually, the twin description described several of the sets of twins I know. I can only think of one exception

Neither one of us fit the bill for leader at all, nor followers really. That dynamic just never popped up.

[Wynch]

Neither one of us fit the bill for leader at all, nor followers really. That dynamic just never popped up.

I was kidding

That said I think leader and follower are misnomers. What I've noticed is that most of the twins I know have a quieter more reserved twin and a louder more outgoing twin. It doesn't put one in any kind of subservient position, but more like a way to distinguish each other.

[munenori2]

I was kidding

Nuh uh.

That said I think leader and follower are misnomers. What I've noticed is that most of the twins I know have a quieter more reserved twin and a louder more outgoing twin. It doesn't put one in any kind of subservient position, but more like a way to distinguish each other.

Could be. We're both really quiet though. My brother's slightly more likely to make small talk, but I generally get stuck making decisions. I am however very aggressive, intolerant, and smash things with my head, so maybe I am the leader after all.

[Wynch]

Nuh uh.

Uh. Ya huh.

Could be. We're both really quiet though. My brother's slightly more likely to make small talk, but I generally get stuck making decisions. I am however very aggressive, intolerant, and smash things with my head, so maybe I am the leader after all.

Nuh uh.

[DirectorAbbie]

I have an older brother and two younger. Middle Child #2 is closest, followed by Only Child.

[olduser]

my situation is complex. I agree with the whimsical traits of the the last born, as i am the last born, but my family is split up and my older brothers didn't live with me during my more formative junior high and high school years where personality develops. During this period I was an only child and learned a lot about coping with things on my own and developed an extremely independent streak. I definitely agree that i am often the odd one out, and had difficulty find my place in the family. so ibecame really odd. This is maybe when i was in my last year of school, my oldest brother asked, "are you on drugs?" when there was nothing wrong with me and i was using them very infrequently.

[munenori2]

Nuh uh.

Back up off! You don't know me, abominable snow monster! Ah shit, now you got my agent orange acting up!

[Warlord]

EDIT: I re-read what it said there.

The aggressive type fits within the limits of being INTp.

[FDG]

Actually, I revise my position: upon reading all the other descriptions, there's a too strong component due to the Forer effect.

[Warlord]

Actually, I revise my position: upon reading all the other descriptions, there's a too strong component due to the Forer effect.

Yeah that's true. The birth order types seem to be dichotomic in nature. So anyone can be either of them.

[strrrng]

Sounded like a bunch of facile stereotypes to me.

edit: and THUS if it matches up, I don't care, because the derivation of it seems inane. Monkeys can type out a shakespeare play...

[Elro]

Monkeys can type out a shakespeare play...

http://www.vivaria.net/experiments/n...n/NOTES_EN.pdf

Not only did the monkeys produce nothing but five pages[29] consisting largely of the letter S, the lead male began by bashing the keyboard with a stone, and the monkeys continued by urinating and defecating on it. The zoo's scientific officer remarked that the experiment had "little scientific value, except to show that the 'infinite monkey' theory is flawed".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem

[Steve]

A lot of the oldest child stuff matches up for me.

[Joy]

My son is a decent match to the only child description.

[Jimbean]

This has got Barnum effect written all over it!

[Elro]

Am I seriously the only only child here?

[tiny_dancer]

I'm an oldest child.

Hm. 6 out of the 9 'Compliant' traits fit me. I'm not sure if I'm either a nurturer or a caregiver...I guess maybe if I had kids I could see that more..

It sort of fit me. The description sounds like a more 'together' person than I am. How I perceive myself seems to be quite different than other people perceive me, though.

People usually say I'm more 'youthful' than an oldest child. They say that my best friend, an INFj, behaves more like an 'oldest child,' (i.e. - serious) and I come off like a younger sibling. But I'm quite responsible, though.

I think the descriptions could range from mediocre to good, depending on what personality you are.

[iAnnAu]

This site is very limited in its descriptions. There are plenty of studies to be found, with findings given at much greater lengths, but birth order psychology theory remains controversial.
For me, it's interesting because due to the variables, my family should be Oldest-oldest-youngest-oldest because my older sister is 6 years older than me, my younger brother is 2 years younger than me, and my little sister is 10 years younger than him. However, we match oldest-middle-youngest-youngest. While I'm used to being the iconoclast in most personality tests (and that I'm not so much socionically is one reason I've stuck around), it's kinda discouraging how much of the middle child description matches me. My older sis is very much in line with it, too. My younger sibs, despite a decade in age difference, compete bitterly in "youngest" child ways.
I'm not sure how much culture has to play in all this, too.

[Sirena]

Am I seriously the only only child here?

Nope . I'm an only too! And I relate to a lot of what you said.

I'd say about 8 out of 9 of the Only Child Traits fit, not so much the strenghts vs. weaknesses description though.