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= Middle Child Syndrome = Middle child syndrome is the idea that middle born children are treated unfavorably in comparison to their siblings due to the virtue of being a middle child. This treatment could be seen as neglect and is purported to happen because the first-borns tend to receive more responsibilities and the perks that come with those responsibilities due to their seniority while the youngest tend to be seen as needing more “safeguarding” and are therefore more spoiled. The middle child isn’t assigned a distinct role leading them to feelings of isolation. There may be “positive” stereotypes associated with middle child syndrome but the general idea is that it is detrimental to the development and wellbeing of the middle child.

Favoritism for middle children generally isn't as common or apparent as favoritism for the eldest and youngest child. The oldest child is typically viewed as being special and a natural born leader while the youngest is seen as the "baby" of their family. Middle children fall in between and aren't usually stereotyped with any specific traits which results in less attachment with their parents.

While there have been multiple studies done on the topic middle child syndrome it has yet to be firmly proven nor has it been disproven. While studying theories regarding birth order it is important to take into account that just because two concepts or ideas are related does not mean one causes the other. Theories similar to middle child syndrome aim to rigidly define characteristics of individuals in relation to their birth order. In recent years, the rethinking of the family structure has introduced new variables to the study of the topic. Aside from the nuclear family there are single parent families, step families, adoptive/foster families, and families with same sex parents. Different family structures can have different influences on how siblings view themselves in their respective families.

Adler’s Birth Order Theory
Alfred Adler was an Austrian physician who was the first to theorize that personality could be affected by birth order. He is known as the father of the school of thought known as Individual Psychology sometimes referred to as Adlerian Psychology. He believed that human beings were complete individuals, leading him to refer to his psychology as Individual Psychology. His first study was on the inferiority complex, a feeling of self doubt that is detrimental to the development of a persons personality. His later work focused on birth order, family constellation and the importance of family bonds and attachment.

Adler held the idea that birth order had a noteworthy and foreseeable influence on a child’s behavior and their susceptibility to feelings of inferiority. His study revolved around the nuclear family, and he modeled his theory around the idea of a family with three children. He believed that although family circumstances vary from individual to individual, general principles in the family dynamic can have a major effect on the development of a child. Family structure is very important in Adler’s theory, and different family structures introduce new variables to the theory.

Adler’s birth order theory concluded that a child may exhibit certain characteristics and behavior depending on their birth order. The personalities depending on birth could be observed as :


 * Firstborn - They have an intrinsic edge due to their parents viewing them as larger, stronger and more dependable than their siblings. This causes the children to have a high regard for the concept of power and authority. These children may become more authoritarian and strict. Seniority makes them feel more responsible for their siblings and they are often viewed as leaders.
 * Second born - They are born in the shadow of their older sibling but are older than the families “baby”. This pushes them to strive for ways to excel in subjects and situations that their siblings aren’t adept at. These children may become more competitive to try to “overtake” their older sibling. These children strive for significance. If these children aren’t encouraged they end up being more docile and are seen as mediators between siblings. They have a dichotomy where they can be overly competitive but are less outspoken and more even tempered then their siblings.
 * Last born - These children can see their siblings as role models, resulting in them feeling subordinate to everyone in their family. They are told when, what and how to do things by their siblings which causes them to want to grow up faster. They are usually more optimistic for the future than their siblings and they tend to make dream higher. Their role as the youngest is fixed and this leaves them with less responsibilities culminating in them being viewed as “spoiled”.
 * Only Child - A child without any siblings receives typically receives all the adoration and attention of their parents. This can also cause them to be “spoiled” and crave being the center of attention. They tend to have difficulty sharing and they prefer adult company to other children.

Sulloway’s Personality Theory
Frank Jones Sulloway is an American Professor of Psychology. In 1996, he published his book Born to Rebel, in which he describes his theory on the dynamics of the nuclear family. In the book he suggested that a person’s order of birth had a profound effect on their personality. The core of his theory was based on the belief that siblings had different personalities because they to adapt their own unique approach on getting their parents approval. He concluded that older children tended to side and associate with their parent and other authority figures while the younger siblings were more inclined to rebel against those same authority figures. He believed that firstborns are more punctilious but less open to change and new ideas than their younger siblings.

A lot of Sulloway’s theories are laid on the groundwork of Alfred Adler and Charles Darwin own studies. Through Adler's and Darwins theories and the advent of evolutionary psychology, Sulloway was able to build and expand on the recognition of the development of personality and it’s relation to the family.

Sulloway’s theories had its own set of detractors, other psychologist such as Judith Rich Harris and Toni Falbo criticized and argued against Sulloway’s ideas. In an issue of Politics and the Life Sciences, meticulous and methodical criticisms of Sulloway’s research and statistics was published on September 2004. The issue was written in September 2000, but due to some threats of legal action from Sulloway, it was delayed for 4 years.

Research
A study on the differences between the perceived IQ of middle-born children and their siblings was conducted in 1988. Through the data they collected, researchers found that parents tended to have a more favorable impression of their first-born's intellect than their younger siblings. It was found that when testing the IQ of siblings of comparable ages, their IQ scores tended to be within a few points of each other. The study concluded that although siblings tended to have a similar IQ due to having a shared environment, the way they were treated due to their perceived intelligence was mismatched.

In 1998, researchers conducted a survey to test the theory that birth order had an influence on the personality of an individual and the strength of their bond with their parents. They found that middle children were the least likely to say they would turn to their parents when faced with a dire and stressful situation. It was also noted that middle children were less likely to nominate their mother as the person they felt most close to compared to the first-borns and last-borns.

In 2016, research was done on birth order and its effect on the idealistic self-representation among undergraduate Engineering students. There were 320 participants and researchers found that middle-born children were less likely to be family-oriented than their siblings. Reviewing the study it is stated the first-born children rate higher in being protective than their younger siblings, in a similar manner the middle children scored the highest for affection and getting along but lower for companionship and identification. These results indicate that there are differences in characteristics brought on by birth order. Middle children were also the most likely to develop maladaptive perfectionism, which is an inclination towards following instructions up to the finest details.

An analysis on birth order and parental sibling involvement in sex education was conducted in 2018. The survey had over 15,000 participants. The results showed that middle-born women were slightly less likely than women who are the youngest in their family to talk to their parents about the matter, with results of 30.9 percent to 29.4 percent respectively. A similar story was told on the men’s side as 17.9 percent of middleborn men found it easy to talk to their parents about sex compared to the 21.4 percent of last-born men.

In Popular Culture
Middle child syndrome is often depicted as trope in popular media such as movies and TV shows, where the personalities and dynamics between family members are heavily based off of their birth order.

In the TV show "Modern Family" ignoring and forgetting about the middle child, "Alex Dunphy", is a common theme in the sitcom. Although "Alex" is intelligent, she is often misunderstood and treated as an afterthought, and it reflects on her quiet personality.

In "The Brady Bunch", the middle child "Jan Brady", is often depicted as feeling inferior to her siblings as she displays an inability to stand out.

In the "Harry Potter" books, brothers "Percy Weasley" and "Ron Weasley" the 3rd and 6th brother in the Weasley family of 7 are often portrayed as being overlooked. "Percy" is distant from his siblings and his aspirations aren't centered around his family. "Ron" is often seen as untalented and mundane in comparison to his siblings as he doesn't display any unique talents.

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