Challenges and Personality Traits of Middle Children
SyndromeMiddle ChildIn families, middle children may develop certain personality and relational issues due to parents’ lack of awareness regarding proper interactions with them.SelMagzWe will explain the middle child syndrome and the research related to it.
Middle Child Syndrome
Middle children often experience the “middle child syndrome,” feeling sidelined in comparison to their older and younger siblings, as parents tend to focus their attention more on the first and last children.
This is not officially recognized as a clinical disorder, and these children gradually adapt to their environment and roles. Only children often do not experience middle child syndrome.
Is this true?
In 1964, Alfred Adler presented a significant theory regarding the impact of birth order on children’s personality development, suggesting that birth order significantly affects their psychological growth.
According to Adler’s birth order theory, a child’s personality can vary based on their birth sequence:
- The oldest child tends to be more authoritative, often feeling a sense of power due to high expectations from parents.
- The youngest child usually has less agency and power compared to their siblings.
- The middle child may develop some personality challenges due to their placement between the oldest and youngest siblings.
Despite the above points reflecting Adler’s theory, research conducted since then has yielded results that contradict it.
Characteristics of Middle Children
This section will discuss the characteristics of middle children and factors influencing their personality.
Personality
The personality of middle children is largely influenced by their siblings: overshadowed by the ambition of the oldest child and the youthfulness of the youngest, leading to a more subdued demeanor.
Relationships
In a family, older children typically receive more attention due to greater responsibilities, and younger siblings are often favored because of their age. Therefore, middle children do not receive the same level of parental attention, impacting their personality.
Competition
Middle children often compete with their older and younger siblings for parental attention, fearing they might be overlooked.
Desire for Affection
Middle children often feel they are not the favorite and perceive that parents favor the oldest or youngest siblings.
Success
Middle children constantly strive for success to gain their parents’ attention and support, leading them to invest their energy into achieving more in life, often becoming successful individuals.
Independence
Middle children tend to feel less attached to the family, believing their parents pay them less attention, prompting them to pursue independence while maintaining loyalty to their family.
Being Different
Due to parental reactions to the oldest sibling’s actions, middle children often develop different behaviors and desires compared to the firstborn; for instance, if the oldest does something,the second child tends to choose a completely different path.Creativity
Middle children often exhibit greater creativity and innovation, developing a stronger sense of independence due to receiving less attention from their parents.
Lack of Self-Esteem
Middle children may feel unwanted due to less attention from parents, leading to diminished self-esteem and struggles with self-identity during development.
Isolation
Children with middle child syndrome may become introverted or antisocial, preferring solitude over socializing.
Lack of Trust
Middle children may struggle to trust others due to feelings of neglect and unworthiness, finding it hard to rely on anyone in their lives.
What impact does this have in adulthood?
It is believed that the factors affecting middle children’s personalities can persist into adulthood, leading to negative impacts, such as the urge to seek attention through various means or striving for peace in stressful situations. These individuals may feel less confident and struggle to form meaningful relationships.
What do studies reveal?
Numerous studies are underway to determine if being a middle child correlates with various issues like
depression,schizophrenia,autism, and evenanorexiaor not.One common belief about middle children is that they share less intimacy with their parents and feel less comfortable discussing sexual matters compared to the first and last siblings. Additionally, in highly stressful situations, they are less likely to communicate with their parents.
They are less family-oriented than older or younger siblings and tend to be moreperfectionisticand some studies indicate that middle children engage in delinquent behavior 33% more than their siblings.
However, these outcomes do not apply to all middle children, as other factors like luck also play a role.Various researches on this topic have shown conflicting results and are not 100% reliable.Middle Child
Personality of Middle Children
Middle Child Syndrome
