Whenever I tell people that I’m a middle child, their first response is to jokingly ask if I have middle child syndrome. It’s easy to laugh this off, but it always makes me think, am I really the neglected middle child? Am I jealous of my siblings? Am I less motivated than they are? While reading the qualities of middle children, some of them felt eerily familiar. The most common are low self-esteem, feelings of emptiness, jealousy, shyness, and possibly being the “problematic child”. While I don’t fit all of these characteristics, there are definitely times where, as a middle child, there’s a lack of attention. While everyone, no matter what order they were born in, feels these things sometimes, the middle child syndrome is when “this feeling results in many problems that the middle child faces in his/her future because he/she always doubts whether people want him/her or not” (M.Farouk Radwan, MSc.).
In severe cases, middle child syndrome can lead to psychological disorders, or cause the child to act out in negative ways. As opposed to the stereotype, many middle children turn out perfectly fine, and the middle child experience actually benefits them, leaving them more independent, and able to work efficiently in groups and on teams. Birth order studies have been conducted ever since their founding in the early 1900’s by Austrian psychoanalyst Dr. Alfred Adler. While some will argue that birth order has no influence over a persons personality, I would have to disagree, even reading the characteristics of the oldest sibling and the youngest sibling, I am reminded of my own sisters, and other oldest and youngest siblings I know. Although I’m not totally convinced that being the middle child should be classified as a syndrome, I definitely think there’s something there worth discussing.
Sources:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/field-guide-families/201210/born-in-between
http://www.today.com/id/14335112/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/what-are-effects-middle-child-syndrome/#.VBs-31appuY
http://www.2knowmyself.com/birth_order/Middle_child_personality_traits
Although I am not a middle child, I completely agree with this post. Birth order definitely influences the way our personalities are. I have two older brothers (so I am the youngest) and we all fit the roles perfectly. My older brother takes charge of everything and is very good at being a leader. My second brother, who is the middle child, fits all of the traits you described perfectly. I am the youngest, and I am the most rebellious and artistic out of my siblings, which is typical for last child. Here is an article that further explains not only the middle child, but the other siblings as well.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gail-gross/how-birth-order-affects-personality_b_4494385.html
I love this post. I’m not a middle child, but I’m the youngest and I definitely fit the stereotypes that come with being the youngest. My brother, who is the middle child, has always gotten the middle child jokes and he fully admits that he has the traits of a middle child.
As a middle child, I feel your pain. I think that often times birth order may be influential on the personality traits developed by a child, but certainly not always. I read that since it is common for the first-born to acquire a leadership position among siblings, the middle child often develops a role that reflects the opposite of the eldest. (http://www.parents.com/baby/development/sibling-issues/how-birth-order-shapes-personality/?page=3) I think that the standard feelings of a middle child are quite common, simply because there comes a time when the eldest child has the parents to themselves, and also the same for the youngest.
This is such an interesting topic for me because as the last child I feel like I fit none of the stereotypes bestowed upon me, and I don’t think my older siblings ‘fit the bill’ either. My sister is the middle child and she seems happy-go-lucky most of the time, if we’re being honest I feel like I’m the most problematic child. I don’t particularly believe in these theories that link order of birth to certain personality traits, I think we’re shaped to be who we are more predominantly through nurture rather than nature. But that’s just my personal opinion, thanks for bringing these findings to light!