Some personality and behavioral factors related to birth order

Abstract

A study was conducted using 165 firemen in large and small firehouses to test the hypothesis that 1st borns learn to interact more successfully because of their stronger dependency and affiliation needs. It was also predicted that this greater interactional skill would become more apparent the more complex the social situation. As predicted, 1st borns had less selfconfidence. They also conformed more, were more efficient problem solvers in a group situation, and were more often the official leader of their work group. However, these group behaviors were only related to birth order in the larger and more complex groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)