No Such Thing As ‘Middle Child Syndrome’ - Just Commonality

"Middle Child Syndrome" must not be expected in all middle children. If each child is dealt with according to their specific individual traits, a child born in the middle won't be labeled wrongly.

The 2015 study at the University of Leipzig and the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, which was conducted by German scientists, was participated by 20,000 adults with the alleged "Middle Child Syndrome." The researchers concluded that the role of a child is not the sole basis for personality development.

The misinformation started during the scientific boom in Europe particularly in Vienna, Austria, where psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, originated. He blamed women for anything wrong in the family. Alfred Adler, Freud's contemporary came up with the "Middle Child Syndrome" theory. 

Dr. Alfred Adler, who was also a psychoanalyst from Austria, explained the relativity of the birth order to a child's behavior. He suggested that middle children feel inferior to the older and younger siblings.

The said observation was based on Adler's own situation being a middle child himself. He elaborated that the eldest gets the "first" of everything while the youngest reaps the benefits of a baby, according to Everyday Family

The bias and outdated finding concluded that while the first child is more likely to be a leader and the third one is a spoiled brat, the second child, ends up to be whiners and people-pleasers. However, the logic behind birth order theory affecting personality traits was already disproven by numerous studies but it just won't die, as per Scary Mommy.

In reality, kids need to be seen, heard by, listened to and most of all, respected by their parents. They must be the models for good behaviors. The young ones can figure out how to treat others on how they are treated by the adults in the family. 

Children are not valued by birth order. Each child is worthy of attention and love. It is important to educate innocent people who still have the wrong notion in mind about a middle child. This will surely remind parents that individual dealings shape up the aspired good character than birth order.

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