Synonyms
Definition
Birth order refers to the sequence in which children are born into a family. It has been suggested that birth order can subtly influence personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships due to potential differences in parental expectations, sibling interactions, and family dynamics associated with each position.
Introduction
Environmental factors significantly influence the phenotypes of both experimental animals and humans. A key factor in this context is the family environment, which plays a crucial role in shaping character and physiological traits. This concept is integrated within evolutionary psychology, highlighting the variance in strategies toward offspring based on birth order.
Siblings, despite sharing approximately half of their genetic material from the same biological parents, and growing up in a similar family setting, often display strikingly divergent psychological profiles and behaviors. These...
References
Alabbasi, A. A. M., Tadik, H., Acar, S., & Runco, M. A. (2021). Birth order and divergent thinking: A meta-analysis. Creativity Research Journal, 33(4), 331–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2021.1913559
Altus, W. D. (1966). Birth order and its sequelae. Science, 151(3706), 44. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.151.3706.44
Black, S. E., Devereux, P. J., & Salvanes, K. G. (2011). Older and wiser? Birth order and IQ of young men [article]. CESifo Economic Studies, 57(1), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1093/cesifo/ifq022
Blake, J. (1985). Number of siblings and educational mobility [note]. American Sociological Review, 50(1), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095342
Blanchard, R., & Zucker, K. J. (1994). Reanalysis of bell, Weinberg, and Hammersmith’s data on birth order, sibling sex ratio, and parental age in homosexual men. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151(9), 1375–1376. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.151.9.1375.
Carette, B., Anseel, F., & Van Yperen, N. W. (2011). Born to learn or born to win? Birth order effects on achievement goals. Journal of Research in Personality, 45(5), 500–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2011.06.008
Chandna, A., & Bhagowalia, P. (2024). Birth order and children’s health and learning outcomes in India. Economics & Human Biology, 52, 101348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101348
Daniels, D., Dunn, J., Furstenberg, F. F., & Plomin, R. (1985). Environmental differences within the family and adjustment differences within pairs of adolescent siblings. Child Development, 56(3), 764–774. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1985.tb00149.x
Daňková, H., Kuba, R., & Flegr, J. (2024). Effects of birth order on human sexuality: The sex of siblings matters. PsyArXiv [preprint]. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.Io/2ub8e
de Haan, M. (2010). Birth order, family size and educational attainment. Economics of Education Review, 29(4), 576–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2009.10.012
Downey, D. B. (1995). When bigger is not better: Family size, parental resources, and children’s educational performance. American Sociological Review, 60(5), 746–761. https://doi.org/10.2307/2096320
Eckstein, D., Aycock, K. J., Sperber, M. A., McDonald, J., Van Wiesner, V., III, Watts, R. E., & Ginsburg, P. (2010). A review of 200 birth-order studies: Lifestyle characteristics. Journal of Individual Psychology, 66, 408–434.
Ernst, C., & Angst, J. (1983). Birth order: Its influence on personality. Springer-Verlag. https://books.google.cz/books?id=M0lEAAAAYAAJ
Karwath, C., Relikowski, I., & Schmitt, M. (2014). Sibling structure and educational achievement: How do the number of siblings, birth order, and birth spacing affect children’s vocabulary competences? Zeitschrift Fur Familienforschung, 26(3), 372–396. https://doi.org/10.3224/zff.v26i3.18993. https://ubp.uni-bamberg.de/jfr/index.php/jfr/article/view/25
Kirkcaldy, B. D., Brown, J., & Siefen, R. G. (2006). Disruptive behavioural disorders, self harm and suicidal ideation among German adolescents in psychiatric care. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 18(4), 597–614.
Kristensen, P., & Bjerkedal, T. (2010). Educational attainment of 25 year old Norwegians according to birth order and gender. Intelligence, 38(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2009.08.003
Kuba, R., Flegr, J., & Havlicek, J. (2018). The effect of birth order on the probability of university enrolment. Intelligence, 70, 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2018.08.003
Michalski, R. L., & Shackelford, T. K. (2001). Methodology, birth order, intelligence, and personality. American Psychologist, 56(6–7), 520–521. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.56.6-7.520
Michalski, R. L., & Shackelford, T. K. (2002). Birth order and sexual strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(4), 661–667. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0191-8869(01)00181-7
Plomin, R., & Daniels, D. (2011). Why are children in the same family so different from one another? International Journal of Epidemiology, 40(3), 563–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyq148
Powell, B., & Steelman, L. C. (1990). Beyond Sibship size: Sibling density, sex composition, and educational outcomes. Social Forces, 69(1), 181–206. https://doi.org/10.2307/2579613
Richards, G., Newman, M., Butler, A., Lechler-Lombardi, J., Osu, T., Krzych-Milkowska, K., & Galbarczyk, A. (2023). Birth order, personality, and tattoos: A pre-registered empirical test of the ‘born to rebel’ hypothesis. Personality and Individual Differences, 204, 112043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.112043
Rodgers, J. L. (2001). What causes birth order-intelligence patterns? The admixture hypothesis, revived [article]. American Psychologist, 56(6–7), 505–510. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.56.6-7.505
Sakata, K., McKenzie, C., Kureishi, W., & Wakabayashi, M. (2022). Birth order, gender and the parental investment gap among children. Singapore Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0217590822500515
Salmon, C. (2003). Birth order and relationships. Family, friends, and sexual partners. Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.), 14(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-003-1017-x
Steelman, L. C., & Powell, B. (1985). The social and academic consequences of birth order: Real, Artifactual, or both? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47(1), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.2307/352073
Sulloway, F. J. (1997). Born to rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives. Vintage Books.
Villanueva-Iglesias, M., & García-Martín, J. (2023). Birth order theory related to emotional intelligence development. Revista Fuentes, 25(3), 283–292. https://doi.org/10.12795/revistafuentes.2023.20449
Zajonc, R. B. (1976). Family configuration and intelligence. Science, 192(4236), 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.192.4236.227
Zajonc, R. B., Markus, H., & Markus, G. B. (1979). The birth order puzzle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(8), 1325–1341.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Kuba, R., Flegr, J. (2024). Birth Order. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_519-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_519-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5
eBook Packages: Living Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences