It’s a common feeling among siblings that one just doesn’t fit in the family. They are often times referred to as the black sheep, and it doesn’t mean that they’re loved or cared for any less, all it means is that they feel different. This always begs the question, “is one destined to succeed while the other is destined for failure?”
The Hypothesis: Birth Order Does Not Matter
Researchers are the University of Illinois and the University of Houston have decided to do a study and try to answer this question for the millions of “black sheep” out there. Psychology professor Brent Roberts, with former postdoctoral researcher, Rodica Damian, conducted an analysis of 377,000 high school-age students to test the assumption that they were genetically predisposed to go one way or the other in life.
Attempting to Prove the Hypothesis
Researchers looked at a wide spectrum of differences between first-and-second born siblings, and second-and-third born siblings. In their study, they accounted for many socioeconomic factors, as well as family size, age, and gender. They concluded that they would get the best results by comparing each child to the next, rather than comparing them with their siblings. According to Roberts, the difference found between siblings was minuscule, stating a “0.02 difference is so small, as to be invisible, something that wouldn’t be apparent to the naked eye.”
Why Do People Believe Birth Order Matters?
Judith Rich Harris, a psychology researcher and published author of many birth-order studies, has attempted to explain why people deny that the research shows no actual difference. Harris claims that, “patterns of behavior acquired in the childhood home don’t affect the way people behave outside that home — even in childhood.” She argues that you wouldn’t know the birth order of someone you weren’t already familiar with just by his or her personality. Most people deny the evidence that there is no difference because they have their impressions based on their personal experience, either in their own home, or the home of their family members. She also informs us several studies that have been done on this subject include sampling errors, skewing the statistical data.
While there are studies claiming that birth order matters, Harris reminds us that children are different in their home than out in the world. Do you have siblings? What is your place in the birth order?
