Sibling Relationships, Birth Order, and Personality among Emerging Adults

Abstract

Sibling Relationships, Birth Order, and Personality among Emerging Adults Michele Van Volkom, Andrew J. Guerguis, Allison Kramer Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of birth order on self-perceptions of various personality traits as well as the effects of both sex and birth order on perceptions of the sibling relationship during emerging adulthood. The researchers recruited 296 college students between the ages of 18 and 25 (64 men and 232 women). A variety of ethnicbackgrounds and birth orders were represented. Participants completed demographic information as well as questionnaires designed to assess their perceptions of thesibling relationship (e.g., how much rivalry and closenesscurrently exists) as well as their self-perceptions ofseveral personality traits (e.g., competitiveness, creativity). Results indicated no significant effects of birth order on self-perceptions of personality traits, however, numerous sex and birth order effects were found in participants‟ assessments of their sibling relationships. Future research directions on the topic of sibling relationshipsduring the developmental stage of emerging adulthood will be discussed. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v5n2a3