I’ve been doing some presentations related to Bowen Systems Theory with a focus on the use of doing family or origin work using one’s genogram. In my experience there is no quicker way to self-insight than delving into trying understand how emotional process works in our family and how that emotional milieu of relationships shaped us.
One component of family of origin work is discovering how one’s sibling position in one’s family influences one’s functioning. Most folks embrace readily the generalizations about sibling birth order. Others are more resistant to accepting those generalizations seeing them as too deterministic.
Steve Connor explores the question about the validity of birth order characteristics in an article titled, “Are the family clichés true?†in the Nov 19, 2007 issue of The Independent.
Here’s an excerpt:
New research undertaken by scientists at the University of Oslo would suggest that there is, in fact, a good deal of truth in our family folklore. Using the IQ tests taken from the military records of 241,310 Norwegian conscripts, the scientists have found that eldest siblings are, on average, significantly “more intelligent” than second-borns.
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But what is equally intriguing about this study, which carries the kudos of having being published in the peer-review journal Science, is the way the scientists have tried to tease apart the possible reasons for this difference. Is it something that begins with gestation in the womb, or is it just the way siblings are reared within the family?
What’s your birth order? Do you believe it influences how you fuction in relationships? On the job? In your current family?
