Abstract
This study aims to investigate the effect that Adler’s theory on one’s birth order has on self-esteem, conscientiousness, openness and relationships. A sample of 109 participants (male = 31, female = 78) who fell into one of the five categories of birth order – oldest child, middle child, youngest child, only child and other (twins etc.). Each participant was asked to complete a survey and their results were examined using an ANOVA and were compared to establish any significant difference among the birth position and each of the variables. Results indicated that participants of different birth positions did not differ significantly in terms of their self-esteem or personality traits conscientiousness and openness, but did however show a variation in their relationship attachment style towards others.
