Birth order : its influence on personality

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Bibliographic Information

Birth order : its influence on personality

Cécile Ernst, Jules Angst ; foreword by M. Bleuler

Springer-Verlag, 1983

  • : us
  • : gw

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Bibliography: p. [287]-329

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

This study appears at a time when a decisive turn is due in the research on personality development. After many years of stagna- tion and misguided research in this field, this book should lead to a thorough revision and a better understanding of current views on the factors which have an influence on personality. Let us consider the unsatisfactory aspects of the recent develop- ments in personality studies. At the beginning of this century, the revolutionary insight gained ground that personality is susceptible to various influences, in particular to those resulting from human interaction. This insight swept away many of the old scholastic concepts and gained special importance in the fields of pedagogics and psychotherapy. How- ever, in the wake of every great discovery we find inherent dangers. For years, various claims and creeds on the malleability of personality have been put forward as if they were proven facts. Lay literature, too, was permeated with wrong and distorted information on factors which might endanger child development.

Table of Contents

I A Survey of World Literature 1946-1980.- 1 Outline of Fallacies in Birth Order Research.- 1.1 Birth Order as Dependent Variable: Problem of Control Groups.- 1.1.1 The Fallacies in Determining Sibship Size.- 1.1.2 The Fallacy of Comparing Carriers for Birth Order with Their Sibs. Normal Distribution of Birth Order.- 1.1.3 The Fallacies of the Greenwood-Yule Normal Distribution for Birth Order.- 1.2 Birth Order as Independent Variable: Differences Between Firstborns and Laterborns.- 1.3 Comparison of Sibs Within the Same Sibship.- 1.4 Conclusions.- 2 Birth Order and Biological Differences.- 2.1 Sex Ratio.- 2.2 Prematurity, Gestation Length, Birth Weight, Early Death, and Handicap.- 2.3 Birth Order and Risk at Birth and in Early Childhood.- 2.4 Does Birth Weight Mediate an IQ-Birth Order Correlation?.- 2.5 Birth Order and Minimal Brain Damage.- 2.6 Birth Order and Height.- 2.7 Birth Order and Age at Menarche.- 2.8 Conclusions.- 3 Research on Twins and Only Children.- 3.1 Studies on Twins.- 3.1.1 Biological Differences Between Twins and Singletons.- 3.1.2 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Lower Birthweight?.- 3.1.3 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Social Background Variables?.- 3.1.4 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Interaction with a Partner of the Same Age?.- 3.1.5 Conclusions.- 3.2 Studies on Only Children.- 3.2.1 Character Development.- 3.2.2 Intellectual Development.- 3.3 Conclusions.- 4 Birth Order and IQ.- 4.1 Introductory Remarks.- 4.2 The IQ-Social Class Correlation.- 4.3 Differential Fertility by Social Class.- 4.4 Sibship Size and IQ.- 4.4.1 Is the IQ-Sibship Size Correlation Spurious?.- 4.4.2 Differential IQ by Sibship Size within Social Class.- 4.4.3 Conclusions.- 4.4.4 Research on Direct Influences of Sibship Size on IQ.- 4.4.5 Birth Intervals and IQ.- 4.5 Birth Order and IQ.- 4.5.1 Birth Order as the Independent variable.- 4.5.2 Birth Order as the Dependent Variable.- 4.5.3 Comparison of IQ Between Sibs in the Same Family.- 4.5.4 Birth Order and Linguistic Skills.- 4.6 Conclusions.- 5 Birth Order and School Achievement.- 5.1 Introductory Remarks.- 5.2 Sibship Size and School Achievement.- 5.2.1 School Grades.- 5.2.2 Standardized Achievement Tests.- 5.2.3 Educational Attainment.- 5.2.4 Conclusions.- 5.3 Birth Order and School Achievement.- 5.3.1 Birth Order as Independent Variable.- 5.3.2 Birth Order as Dependent Variable.- 5.4 Birth Order and Over-1980.- 1 Outline of Fallacies in Birth Order Research.- 1.1 Birth Order as Dependent Variable: Problem of Control Groups.- 1.1.1 The Fallacies in Determining Sibship Size.- 1.1.2 The Fallacy of Comparing Carriers for Birth Order with Their Sibs. Normal Distribution of Birth Order.- 1.1.3 The Fallacies of the Greenwood-Yule Normal Distribution for Birth Order.- 1.2 Birth Order as Independent Variable: Differences Between Firstborns and Laterborns.- 1.3 Comparison of Sibs Within the Same Sibship.- 1.4 Conclusions.- 2 Birth Order and Biological Differences.- 2.1 Sex Ratio.- 2.2 Prematurity, Gestation Length, Birth Weight, Early Death, and Handicap.- 2.3 Birth Order and Risk at Birth and in Early Childhood.- 2.4 Does Birth Weight Mediate an IQ-Birth Order Correlation?.- 2.5 Birth Order and Minimal Brain Damage.- 2.6 Birth Order and Height.- 2.7 Birth Order and Age at Menarche.- 2.8 Conclusions.- 3 Research on Twins and Only Children.- 3.1 Studies on Twins.- 3.1.1 Biological Differences Between Twins and Singletons.- 3.1.2 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Lower Birthweight?.- 3.1.3 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Social Background Variables?.- 3.1.4 Is Lower IQ in Twins Related to Interaction with a Partner of the Same Age?.- 3.1.5 Conclusions.- 3.2 Studies on Only Children.- 3.2.1 Character Development.- 3.2.2 Intellectual Development.- 3.3 Conclusions.- 4 Birth Order and IQ.- 4.1 Introductory Remarks.- 4.2 The IQ-Social Class Correlation.- 4.3 Differential Fertility by Social Class.- 4.4 Sibship Size and IQ.- 4.4.1 Is the IQ-Sibship Size Correlation Spurious?.- 4.4.2 Differential IQ by Sibship Size within Social Class.- 4.4.3 Conclusions.- 4.4.4 Research on Direct Influences of Sibship Size on IQ.- 4.4.5 Birth Intervals and IQ.- 4.5 Birth Order and IQ.- 4.5.1 Birth Order as the Independent variable.- 4.5.2 Birth Order as the Dependent Variable.- 4.5.3 Comparison of IQ Between Sibs in the Same Family.- 4.5.4 Birth Order and Linguistic Skills.- 4.6 Conclusions.- 5 Birth Order and School Achievement.- 5.1 Introductory Remarks.- 5.2 Sibship Size and School Achievement.- 5.2.1 School Grades.- 5.2.2 Standardized Achievement Tests.- 5.2.3 Educational Attainment.- 5.2.4 Conclusions.- 5.3 Birth Order and School Achievement.- 5.3.1 Birth Order as Independent Variable.- 5.3.2 Birth Order as Dependent Variable.- 5.4 Birth Order and Over- and Underachievement.- 5.5 Conclusions.- 6 Birth Order and Occupational Status.- 6.1 Birth Order as Dependent Variable.- 6.1.1 Studies without Control Group.- 6.1.2 Studies with Inadequate Control Groups.- 6.2 Birth Order as Independent Variable.- 6.3 Occupational Status Among Sibs.- 6.4 Sibship Size, Fertility and Social Mobility.- 6.5 Conclusions.- 7 Birth Order Differences in Socialization and Personality.- 7.1 Introductory Remarks.- 7.2 Social Class, Sibship Size, and Personality.- 7.2.1 Social Class and Personality.- 7.2.2 Sibship Size and Personality.- 7.3 Hypotheses Concerning Socialization and Personality Differences by Birth Order.- 7.4 Birth Order and Familial Socialization.- 7.4.1 Differential Treatment of Children by Birth Order Investigated in Parents.- 7.4.2 Differential Treatment of Children by Birth Order Investigated in Children.- 7.4.3 Differential Interactions of Siblings by Birth Order.- 7.5 Summary of the Evidence of Differential Familial Socialization by Birth Order.- 7.6 Birth Order and Personality.- 7.6.1 Introductory Remarks.- 7.6.2 Birth Order, Anxiety, Sensitivity to Pain and Risk Taking.- 7.6.3 Birth Order and the Disposition to Associate.- 7.6.4 Birth Order and Achievement Motivation.- 7.6.5 Birth Order and Aggression.- 7.6.6 Birth Order, Dominance, and Conservatism.- 7.6.7 Birth Order and Interest in Ideas or Persons.- 7.6.8 Birth Order, Autonomy, and Creativity.- 7.6.9 Birth Order and Self-Esteem.- 7.6.10 Birth Order, Adjustment, and Neuroticism.- 7.6.11 Birth Order and Intro- and Extraversion.- 7.6.12 Birth Order and Empathy.- 7.6.13 Birth Order and Responsibility.- 7.6.14 Birth Order and Personality in General.- 7.6.15 Birth Order and Sex Role.- 7.6.16 Sex Role Differentiation and Sex of Sib.- 7.6.17 Personality and Sex of Sib.- 7.6.18 Birth Order, Interpersonal Relations, Mate Selection, and Quality of Married Life.- 7.6.19 Birth Order and Sociometric Popularity.- 7.6.20 Personality and Spacing.- 7.7 Summary of Research on Birth Order and Personality.- 8 Birth Order and Mental Illness.- 8.1 Introductory Remarks.- 8.2 Methodological Pitfalls.- 8.3 Sibship Size and Mental Illness.- 8.3.1 Methodological Difficulties.- 8.3.2 Sibship Size of Psychiatric Patients in General.- 8.3.3 Sibship Size in Schizophrenia.- 8.3.4 Sibship Size in Alcoholism.- 8.3.5 Sibship Size in Psychoneurosis.- 8.3.6 Sibship Size and Personality Disorder.- 8.3.7 Conclusions.- 8.4 Birth Order and Mental Illness.- 8.4.1 Birth Order in Psychiatric Patients in General.- 8.4.2 Birth Order and Schizophrenia.- 8.4.3 Birth Order and Alcoholism.- 8.4.4 Birth Order and Smoking Behavior.- 8.4.5 Birth Order and Use of Drugs.- 8.4.6 Birth Order and Depression.- 8.4.7 Birth Order and Psychoneurosis.- 8.4.8 Birth Order and Personality Disorder.- 8.4.9 Birth Order and Psychosomatic Illness.- 8.4.10 Birth Order and Homosexuality.- 8.4.11 Birth Order in Criminals.- 8.4.12 Mental Illness in Sibships of Two and Three.- 8.4.13 Birth Order and Problem Behavior in Children.- 8.4.14 Mental Deficiency in Children and Adults.- 8.4.15 Birth Order in Epileptics.- 8.5 Birth Order and Psychiatric Illess: Conclusions.- 9 Summary and General Conclusions.- II Analysis of Empirical Data.- 10 Examination of Hypotheses Concerning Birth Order and Sibship Size by Multivariate Analysis of a Representative Young Adult Population.- 10.1 Introduction and Purpose of This Study.- 10.2 Methodology.- 10.2.1 Samples.- 10.2.2 Assessment of Sibship Size and Birth Order.- 10.2.3 Statistics.- 10.3 Birth Order and School Achievement.- 10.3.1 Classification of School Types and Distribution of School Achievement.- 10.3.2 Birth Order and School Achievement: Bivariate Analysis.- 10.3.3 Sibship Size and School Achievement: Bivariate Analysis.- 10.3.4 Other Social Factors and School Achievement.- 10.3.5 Birth Order, Social Factors, and School Achievement: Multiple Classification Analysis.- 10.3.6 Social Factors, Sibship Size, and School Achievement: Multiple Classification Analysis.- 10.3.7 Path Analysis.- 10.3.8 Discussion.- 10.4 Birth Order and Personality.- 10.4.1 Assessment.- 10.4.2 Birth Order and Personality: Oneway Analysis of Variance.- 10.4.3 Birth Order, Extraversion, and Neuroticism.- 10.4.4 Sibship Size and Personality.- 10.4.5 Personality (Extraversion and Neuroticism) and Other Social Variables.- 10.4.6 Birth Order and Personality: Multiple Classification Analysis.- 10.4.7 Discussion.- 10.5 Birth Order and the Consumption of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Drugs.- 10.5.1 Assessment of Consumption.- 10.5.2 Birth Order and Consumption: Bivariate Analysis.- 10.5.3 Sibship Size and Consumption: Bivariate Analysis.- 10.5.4 Other Social Factors and Consumption.- 10.5.5 Social Factors, Personality, Birth Order, and Consumption: Multiple Classification Analysis.- 10.5.6 Discussion.- 10.6 Summary and Conclusions.- 10.6.1 Survey of Results.- 11 Relation of the Empirical Results to the Survey of World Literature.- References.- Author Index.

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