Birth Order Research: First-Born Traits
Your personality is not as unique as you think it is. In fact, your personality is extremely similar to other people that are in the same position as you on the birth order chart. Information has been presented by researchers studying the correlation between birth order and personality traits, and the results are shocking. According to the studies performed, most parts of a person’s personality are greatly influenced depending on whether they are the only, oldest, middle, or youngest child in their family. I, being the oldest child, took a look at the researchers’ conclusions myself to see just how accurate they were, and I was surprised at what I saw. Many of the traits that are listed for first-born children are traits that make up different areas of my personality.
A big part of my personality that is accurately portrayed by the birth order research results has to do with academic traits, especially those that hint at academic excellence. One of those traits is being a perfectionist. I go absolutely ballistic over the smallest of details, especially concerning anything school-related. For example, I rewrote my AP World History summer assignment about six times because each time I wrote it, I felt that my answers weren’t accurate enough or that my handwriting was unacceptably messy. I need everything to be perfect in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. I also consider myself quite scholarly. I’ve maintained spectacular grades in somewhat advanced classes, and I put my schoolwork above basically everything else in my life. Even though I’m not particularly excited to get up and go to school every day, I still enjoy learning new things and doing the best I can on all of my work. Having these traits definitely helps me do well in school.
Another aspect of my personality that is correctly predicted by the research results is the natural-born leader in me. Whenever I am working with others, I feel the need to be in control of things, mostly because I’m uncomfortable when people don’t do things my way. For example, last year in English we were put into groups and told to make a poster about different topics. Being the control freak that I am, I took the whole poster home and did my whole group’s project by myself to ensure that it was done the exact way that I envisioned. Another important trait I have is being self-reliant. Ever since I can remember, I have mostly depended on nobody but myself because I find that depending on others is extremely risky. I remember once, when I was about eight, my mom forgot to pick me up from school. I didn’t think to call her, like most other children would. Instead, I put it upon myself to get home. The only idea I had was to walk by myself. Now that I look back on it, it wasn’t that big of a deal because I was only about ten minutes away from my home, but it still shows a sense of independence, even at such a young age. Even now, I am a very independent person who loves to be a leader.
The first-born research shows traits that also point to having a logic-based mind, which I know I have. I am a very analytical person. I notice every flaw and inconsistency, and I also enjoy the process of dissecting and solving simple and complex problems. For example, I’m extremely interested in criminal cases. I’ve always been fascinated with criminal interrogations and confusing cases. I find it fun to try to figure out whether or not somebody’s lying, and I love seeing how the pieces of a crime fit together. Also, I’m the type of person who tends to see things in black-and-white. To me, it’s much easier for things to either be right or wrong without any type of in-between choice. Even though I know this isn’t always the case, it would make things much simpler. This point of view is most likely the reason I find math classes much more interesting than English classes. In English class, there’s too many gray areas. You can be right in about twenty different ways. However, in math, you can only be right once, which I absolutely adore. This is probably what leads me to be more logical than imaginative.
After studying the birth order research, I found that my personality traits are nearly identical to those of most first-borns. I feel that this research is so accurate because most parents raise their children according to the same standard: they are strict while raising the first-born, but they become more lenient as they have more children. Therefore, many children in the same spot on the birth order chart share the same qualities in their personalities. These results make me a bit upset because they make me feel more predictable, or like a statistic on a chart. Nevertheless, I am extremely amazed at how accurate this study was when I compared it to my own personality.
A big part of my personality that is accurately portrayed by the birth order research results has to do with academic traits, especially those that hint at academic excellence. One of those traits is being a perfectionist. I go absolutely ballistic over the smallest of details, especially concerning anything school-related. For example, I rewrote my AP World History summer assignment about six times because each time I wrote it, I felt that my answers weren’t accurate enough or that my handwriting was unacceptably messy. I need everything to be perfect in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. I also consider myself quite scholarly. I’ve maintained spectacular grades in somewhat advanced classes, and I put my schoolwork above basically everything else in my life. Even though I’m not particularly excited to get up and go to school every day, I still enjoy learning new things and doing the best I can on all of my work. Having these traits definitely helps me do well in school.
Another aspect of my personality that is correctly predicted by the research results is the natural-born leader in me. Whenever I am working with others, I feel the need to be in control of things, mostly because I’m uncomfortable when people don’t do things my way. For example, last year in English we were put into groups and told to make a poster about different topics. Being the control freak that I am, I took the whole poster home and did my whole group’s project by myself to ensure that it was done the exact way that I envisioned. Another important trait I have is being self-reliant. Ever since I can remember, I have mostly depended on nobody but myself because I find that depending on others is extremely risky. I remember once, when I was about eight, my mom forgot to pick me up from school. I didn’t think to call her, like most other children would. Instead, I put it upon myself to get home. The only idea I had was to walk by myself. Now that I look back on it, it wasn’t that big of a deal because I was only about ten minutes away from my home, but it still shows a sense of independence, even at such a young age. Even now, I am a very independent person who loves to be a leader.
The first-born research shows traits that also point to having a logic-based mind, which I know I have. I am a very analytical person. I notice every flaw and inconsistency, and I also enjoy the process of dissecting and solving simple and complex problems. For example, I’m extremely interested in criminal cases. I’ve always been fascinated with criminal interrogations and confusing cases. I find it fun to try to figure out whether or not somebody’s lying, and I love seeing how the pieces of a crime fit together. Also, I’m the type of person who tends to see things in black-and-white. To me, it’s much easier for things to either be right or wrong without any type of in-between choice. Even though I know this isn’t always the case, it would make things much simpler. This point of view is most likely the reason I find math classes much more interesting than English classes. In English class, there’s too many gray areas. You can be right in about twenty different ways. However, in math, you can only be right once, which I absolutely adore. This is probably what leads me to be more logical than imaginative.
After studying the birth order research, I found that my personality traits are nearly identical to those of most first-borns. I feel that this research is so accurate because most parents raise their children according to the same standard: they are strict while raising the first-born, but they become more lenient as they have more children. Therefore, many children in the same spot on the birth order chart share the same qualities in their personalities. These results make me a bit upset because they make me feel more predictable, or like a statistic on a chart. Nevertheless, I am extremely amazed at how accurate this study was when I compared it to my own personality.
Also being the first born child I TOTALLY agree with the perfectionist part!! I did/do the same exact things especially for school! It bugs me with the smallest and what seems like the stupidest details, like the messy handwriting, I have major issues with too. It must be a Filipino thing ;)
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the perfectionist trait describes you, you are so tidy, neat, and a good with organization.
ReplyDelete