Whether you were the first, middle, youngest or an only child, your entire worldview is heavily influenced by this position. Knowing the basic characteristics of your position provides powerful insight into your family-of-origin dynamics and adult relationships. Sometimes mysterious irritations consistently arise between you and others that are just intrinsic personality differences due to the birth order lottery. While just understanding the basis for interpersonal friction may not make it go away completely, it’ll definitely help…
Take the edge off.
Jarl and Steve
Take a look at some traits here: Birth Order
I agree with your entire stance about socialization, and our need to consciously “outgrow” it.
I think I believe that birth order is just a symptom, a handle, on the strange notions of family in our society, and not a cause of anything per se. As a recovering scientist, I really go out of my way to avoid suggestions of causality. I like the view I’ve got from you, that things happen because of all the circumstances preceding. And I can’t let circumstances from my past be any kind of crutch for my behavior. I think birth order is interesting but only as a statement about our society.