Siblings play a significant role in shaping an individual's personality, with birth order often believed to have a major impact. The theory that birth order influences personality is considered a persistent but flawed concept. People may conform to the expectations of those around them, leading to the adoption of specific roles within a family. These roles are often pragmatic and can persist over time. However, the roles within a family setting do not necessarily dictate one's behavior outside of the family dynamic. It is possible for an individual to exhibit different traits in other social contexts despite their familial role.
We all know the cliches about older siblings being responsible, younger ones being creative, and middle children being peacemakers. But is there any evidence our position in the family has an impact on our personality? Madeleine Finlay meets Dr Julia Rohrer, a personality psychologist at the University of Leipzig, to unpick the science behind our intuition about birth order. Help support our independent journalism at
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