Children’s influences in birth order

According to Lucille K, Forer in ‘Birth Order and Life Roles’ children are influenced by their birth order. When we are born into a family unit, we take a certain place in the family hierarchy. We become ‘only child’, ‘oldest child’, ‘middle child’ or maybe the ‘youngest child’. From the beginning, the parents treat the child according to his/ her place in the family and soon the child recognizes that place he/she is occupying.
 
The role we take as the result of being in a certain place in the family not only causes us to think about ourselves in certain ways, but it also causes us to think about other people in some ways. The oldest child tends to expect other people to be relatively less capable. The middle child has less specific expectations about the capabilities of other people. The youngest child may see others as more adequate while the only child tends to think he/ she would learn to take care of himself/herself as much as possible.
 
The place in the family establishes for the child a specific role to be played within the family group. It influences him/ her to develop certain attitudes toward himself/ herself and toward other people and helps him/her develop specific patterns in behaviour.