Affects of Birth Order Phoenix AZ

Does ‘Playing Favorites’ Hurt Children’s Self-Esteem?

One of the biggest factors in the development of healthy self-esteem in a child is the time and attention spent on that child by the parents. Thereby it is only common sense that if one child receives more attention, time and energy than others then that child usually has a feeling of greater importance and higher self-esteem than those siblings that receive less attention, time and energy.

This phenomenon of attention leading to greater self-esteem has been studied extensively in regards to birth order. It’s no accident that first born children tend to have good self esteem because they were the sole receive of time and attention from the parents for at least a short while. This is backed up by studies that show that more CEO’s and even President’s of the United States are first borns than any other birth order.

The middle child usually has it hardest. With a first born getting all the attention when still an only child, and then the later arrival of a 3rd or 4th child hence taking the ‘youngest’ crown, the middle child typically tends to get the least attention of the three. This manifests in the middle child usually having to ‘try harder’ to get the attention from the parents that is naturally being given more to the oldest and youngest. This eventually leads to self-esteem issues with the middle child who overall is getting less attention than the others. These children often have what is labeled ‘middle child syndrome’ which typically results in a child that tries to be different and to lead a life that is less traditional in order to get the attention and hence self-esteem they felt was lacking during their childhood.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/does-playing-favorites-hurt-childrens-selfesteem-924361.html