Divide into groups based on your Birth order. Each group will make a list of pros and cons associated with your birth order: Oldest Middle Youngest Only

How Personality Develops 1)Heredity- passing on of certain characteristics from earlier generations sometimes referred to as "nature" Inherited Traits are passed on through GENES. ex: Eye color Hair color Height Facial features Temper Likes/dislikes

How Personality Develops 2) Environment:people, places, things that surround and influence a person- sometimes referred to as "nurture" Acquired Traits: likes, dislikes, goals, interests, speech, attitudes.

How it affects your Personality Birth Order How it affects your Personality

The First Born Anything a first-born child does is a big deal, simply because it's a first for his or her family. So kids end up with a lot of natural confidence. Also can have "first-born" traits if: *you're the first son or daughter, *you were born more than five years after your next-oldest sibling. *If you're a twin, triplet- the first child born.

First Borns: Confident: Determined Born Leader: Organized: Eager to Please: Likes to Avoid Trouble:

Famous First-Borns George W. Bush Hillary Rodham Clinton Bill Cosby Oprah Winfrey almost all of the U.S. Presidents were either the first-born child or the first-born son in their families? All but two of the first astronauts sent into space were first-borns, and the other two were "only children"?

Middle Children Roll with It personality Great Negotiator:great at seeing both sides of an issue. Lots of Loyal Friends: Middles tend to make friends easily. Once they have them, they often work harder to keep them. They're usually good at keeping secrets, too.

WHY? Parents are often more easy-going and less demanding with second and third children. As a result, many middle children end up with a more relaxed attitude towards life than their older sibs.

Youngest Children many "youngests" of the family crave the spotlight. Love to make people laugh. They'll often work hard to be the center of attention or break the rules. They are risk-takers. Persistent Great Storytellers.

Famous “Youngests”: Drew Carey Rosie O'Donnell Jim Carey Whoopi Goldberg Billy Crystal Eddie Murphy Cameron Diaz

Only Children "Only children" spend a lot of time with grown-ups, often confident and well-spoken. "little adults" they can find themselves under a ton of pressure to succeed.

Only children characteristics Confident: Pays Attention to Detail- Likes things organized. Good in School: It's MINE! ---hard to share Overly Critical

Variables to Birth Order Traits: Parents- Marital status, parenting style. Adoption/Remarriage Mental/Physical Handicapped siblings Death of parent or sibling

Quality Time By the time children are 11, they devote about 33% of their free time to their siblings--more time than they spend with friends, parents, teachers or even by themselves even adolescents, who have usually begun going their own way, devote at least 10 hours a week to activities with their siblings--

Advantages of Siblings: collaborators and co-conspirators our role models protectors & tormentors playmates counselors sources of envy objects of pride

SIBLINGS TEACH US: how to resolve conflicts & how not to. how to conduct friendships and when to walk away from them.

Opposite sex siblings Sisters teach brothers about the mysteries of girls; brothers teach sisters about the puzzle of boys.

Conflict Resolution on average, sibs between 3 and 7 years old engage in some kind of conflict 3.5 times an hour. Kids in the 2-to-4 age group top out at 6.3--or more than one clash every 10 minutes,

lot of learning going on too, specifically about how conflicts, once begun, can be settled

Unlike a relationship with friends, you're stuck with your sibs Unlike a relationship with friends, you're stuck with your sibs. You learn to negotiate things day to day." that permanence, researchers believe, makes siblings a valuable rehearsal tool for later life. Spouses, coworkers, friends

Siblings may be opposites Many times siblings don't mirror one another but differentiate themselves--a phenomenon psychologists call “de-identification”.

Siblings can pass on dangerous habits A girl with an older, pregnant teenage sister is four to six times as likely to become a teen mom herself younger siblings whose older sibs drink are twice as likely to pick up the habit too. When it comes to smoking, the risk increases fourfold.

Strong Bonds throughout life- Full-blown childhood crises may forge even stronger lifelong links. when older sibs step in to help raise younger ones, the dual role of sibling and caretaker can lay the foundation for an indestructible closeness later on.

Marriage compatibility How could birth order influence your compatibility with a partner?? Which would be best for you?

Marriage compatibility: Only child and youngest; first-born and youngest; middle child and youngest: Gender plays a role here as well. For the absolute best match, pair the female only or first-born female with a male youngest child who has older sisters.

First-born married to a first-born this pairing will likely be a volatile one.

First-born married to a middle child: The middle child is a superb negotiator and can thus be a good partner for almost anyone. The first born can be domineering and may be somewhat intimidating to the middle child. However, if the middle child has last born tendencies in his/her personality, the pairing can be a good one.

First-born married to the last-born: excellent combination because the two can learn from each other. The first-born can teach the last-born how to be better organized and more responsible. On the other hand, the last-born can teach the first-born to loosen up and enjoy life a little more.

Middle child married to a middle child This pairing can go either way. If one of the middle-born partners has first-born tendencies and one has last-born tendencies, this can be a good love match. However, if both have the characteristic secretive qualities, communication can be an issue. Interestingly, this match has the least chance of marital infidelity.

Middle child married to last born: This pairing will necessitate the middle child having some of the first-born tendencies in order to be successful, and will be even better if this individual is a female. If both share the characteristic behaviors of the last born, there could be trouble in paradise, most notably the tendency to be irresponsible.

Last born married to a last born: As above, there will be lots of fun initially, but in the long run life will become out of control without having at least one individual prone to taking charge.

Our spouses arrive comparatively late in our lives; our parents eventually leave us. Our siblings may be the only people we'll ever know who truly qualify as partners for life.

Writing assignment Discuss how your environment and inherited traits have molded you. What traits did you inherit? (Nature) What traits have been a results of your environment? Acquired traits (Nurture)