Are you the oldest or the youngest at home? This says something about you

I am such a typical oldest daughter. Always have been. I am perfectionistic, always on time, never wanted to get dirty when I was younger, and I always did what was asked of me. My sister is the youngest at home and was very different. She preferred to wear two different shoes, loved nothing more than playing outside, and is an incredibly free spirit. Over the years, we have started to resemble each other more and more, but some differences still remain. Psychotherapist Alfred Adler gave that phenomenon a name: the birth order theory. This shows that the order in which you were born (whether you are the oldest, youngest, or perhaps an only child) says everything about your thoughts, behavior, and your future. This is what Adler has to say about it.

Oldest child
Firstborns may struggle with sharing attention. This is because they have been alone for a period where all the attention was on them; they don't know any better. The firstborn often has a lot of responsibility once younger siblings come into the picture. Parents are often stricter with oldest children and have higher expectations of them, which generally leads to strong leadership qualities and high achievements in adult life.

Middle child
If you fit the stereotype of the middle child, you will often feel excluded or unimportant. Middle children are often skilled at creating a place for themselves, which they really need. Although they are reasonably skilled at making compromises, middle children can also be competitive when overshadowed by an older brother or sister, and sometimes disobedient or rebellious. Not overwhelmed by great responsibility like firstborns, but also not spoiled like the youngest, middle children often develop into successful adults.

Youngest child
The youngest child is the most spoiled by everyone. Some youngest children will therefore believe that they need to be taken care of and thus lack the motivation to excel. They also often have little self-confidence to successfully and independently complete tasks. Other youngest children may appreciate being taken care of. As a result, they also want to care for others, making them a very important part of the family.

Only child
Because only children usually interact more with adults than with other children, even if they have many friends of the same age, they can sometimes be a bit rigid. Only children can be both very successful and somewhat dependent on their parents, as their parents primarily focus on their success and achievements. They can be stubborn because they are not used to much flexibility or negotiation with others, but they are also independent, can fill their time meaningfully, and are often intelligent.

Source: Simply Psychology