Birth Order Affects A Person's Success

People have no control over which family they were born into, and they have no control over whether they were the oldest, middle, or youngest child born to their parents. Neither did they have a choice to be an only child or a twin.

Scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and other experts agree that the order in which a person fits into his family unit has a great deal to do with how successful he will eventually become. They also agree that one's personality, intelligence, and characteristics are significantly influenced by birth order.

Dalton Conley, New York University professor of sociology and public policy, proves it in his book The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why. He contends that 75 percent of families in the United States have successful firstborns. He used Bill and Roger Clinton as examples, as well as Jimmy and Billy Carter. In each case, one brother was successful, and the other brother was not.

First Child

Parenting expert Michael Grose believes that firstborns have special privileges that others don't have because of their birth order. He emphasizes his viewpoints in his book, Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It.

Usually, the firstborn is the only child who gets all the attention from parents, even if it is only temporary until the next child comes along and things change.

Grose contends that in most cases, the birth of the firstborn is celebrated more than the birth of later children. Their first steps, first words, and all their firsts are celebrated, but by the time the other children come along, parents do not celebrate as much.

More than half of the United States Presidents are firstborns, including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Other famous firstborns include Taylor Swift, Hillary Clinton, Kate Middleton, Beyoncé, J.K. Rowling, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, and all the actors who have played James Bond.

Middle Child

Middle children seem to lose out by neither receiving the celebrations of being the oldest nor being pampered like the youngest child. Therefore, they have to compromise and find their own balance. Middle children sometimes get lost in large families, like Jan did on The Brady Bunch. Middle children are not faced with the high expectations of the first child or the modest expectations of the youngest child.

Some well-known middle children include Jennifer Lopez, Stella McCartney, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford, Cate Blanchett, Bill Gates, John F. Kennedy, Madonna, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Kim Kardashian.

Youngest Child

The last-born child is pampered while he is young, but when he grows up, he develops his own path because he doesn't want to compete with older siblings.

The youngest child sometimes turns out to have a mind of his own and decides not to be like his older siblings. Parents tend to be less demanding and have lower expectations for the youngest because they have had practice with the oldest and middle child.

Younger children may choose professions that allow them to be creative. They become fond of the performing arts.

Some well-known youngest children include Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lawrence, Tamar Braxton, Solange Knowles, Hugh Grant, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie, Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, and Billy Crystal.

Only Child

In a way, the only child is the firstborn, the oldest, and the youngest. The main difference between only children and firstborns is that they never experience sharing their parents with siblings. Only children tend to be more creative and responsible than children with siblings.

Well-known only children include Justin Bieber, Chelsea Clinton, Kerry Washington, Tiger Woods, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Drew Barrymore, Alicia Keys, Maria Sharapova, and Leonardo da Vinci.

Twins

Twins hold equal status and are treated similarly. When they are younger, they don't mind dressing alike and doing things together. When they become adults, some twins like to be different. The older twin tends to brag about being older, even if it is by a minute.

Some twins go into the same profession. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen both have careers in fashion. Advice columnists Abigail Friedman was well known for "Dear Abby," and her twin, Esther Friedman, for "Ann Landers." Harold and Bernard Shapiro became presidents of well-known universities. Harold became president of Princeton University, and Bernard became president of McGill University in Canada.

What is your birth order?

Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest child? Are you an only child or a twin?