Some studies have shown that birth order does have an influence on personality. For example, since the oldest child is the only child for period of time, it is held that he or she becomes used to being the center of attention, and that this may persist into adulthood, producing a personality which craves power and influence. The youngest child, according to this way of seeing things, having become used to being smaller, weaker, and less competent than siblings may develop into an adult who expects others to make decisions and take responsibility. The middle child, having experienced neither the rights and freedoms of the oldest nor the privileges and special treatment of youngest, may, according to the birth-order theorists, feel that life is unfair, or that she or he is unloved or less loved than the others, and develop into an adult who suffers from a negative view of his or her lot in life. On the other hand, it is said that middle children, since they must learn to deal with both oldest and youngest sibling, often learn adaptability, and may turn out to be the kind of adults who are good mediators and negotiators. (Isaacson, 2002)
In any case, the difficulties with anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia do not, in my opinion, have much, if anything, to do with birth order. After all, countless middle children--the vast majority--do not suffer from these problems, and many first-born, and last-born children do suffer from them. I understand that it might feel comforting to you to find reasons for your suffering in the impersonal facts of birth order, but this would be a mistake, as I see it...................
