More Psychological Input

This video is from a news station in St. Louis. The program is called FOX 2 News in the Morning. The host interviews Behavioral Pediatrician, Dr. Tim Jordan. Tim outlines the three tiers of birth order. They even mention famous celebrities who are first, middle, and youngest children. But my favorite line is, "There could be a ten year gap, there could be a 15 month gap. But I think a lot of things come into play, not just the birth order." It is good to remember that although some stereotypes have scientific backing and are shockingly accurate at times, that they are not constraints on individuals. They are simply inclinations towards and explanations for sibling behavior.

3 Brothers

Seeing as I'm doing a project covering traits associated with birth order in my own interest, I figured a picture of me and my 2 younger brothers is appropriate.

This is a shot of us all playing our Kerkhof Patented "Trampoline Soccer" game. This past summer was the summer I realized that I could not call them my little brothers anymore. The middle sibling Spencer (on the right) is actually taller than me, and way more muscular. I attribute this to his fantastic athleticism, he's wearing his practice soccer jersey in the shot. The youngest, Jesse, is on the far left. He never misses a chance to compete and one up his older brothers. He is much bigger than I was at his age, very husky and burly, definitely not as skinny as I was. I suspect he might even be taller and bulkier than both me and Spence when he heads of to college.

The Power of Birth Order: A Mother's Perspective

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtflXRb7tWI

This is a fantastic video done by San Joaquin Valley's PBS station. They interview a mother of 3 boys and document the brothers interacting. They also speak with Barry Sommer, and educational psychologist about the power of birth order.

The mother's testimonies reflect the stereotypes behind birth order. Speaking about her first born son, she notes that he tends to try and control his siblings while playing. She says he likes to be in charge, explaining, "When the brothers line up their cars, they have to be a certain way, based on what he says."She acknowledges that her middle born is very independent. "He tried to make himself breakfast well before he was able to, creating a large mess...he though he was doing what he was supposed to be doing, and that was taking care of his own needs." Regarding her youngest son she admits, "at times, she gives into [her youngest] cause he's the baby."

"Act Your Birth Order"

I'm writing this blog to serve as a collection of images and articles surrounding birth order and their relevance to my paper.

I found this cartoon on an archive of New Yorker cartoons called "Cartoon Bank." It depicts a mother scolding her son saying, "Act your birth order!" Although the expression is "Act your age!", the expression the mother is using is scientifically more accurate. Both a first born and a youngest child at age 12 have completely different levels of maturity.

Frank Sulloway, a visiting professor of psychology at both M.I.T and UC Berkeley, writes, "within-family studies, firstborns generally score higher in most aspects of conscientiousness. Firstborns are rated by both parents and siblings as being more self-disciplined, organized, and deliberate than their younger brothers and sisters... For example, firstborns often occupy the role of a surrogate parent, a family niche that tends to ingratiate them with parents as the “responsible” child. Owing to their relative immaturity, laterborns are generally unsuited for the role of a surrogate parent and must seek parental favor by other means—for instance, through athletic ability or by developing other latent abilities... or humor as a strategy, to cultivate the role of the family comedian" (Sulloway 170).