In families, everyone usually has high expectations for the first child and the youngest child receives the most love and affection. So where is the mother’s child? Psychology has been looking for answers to these questions for a long time. It is generally believed that the youngest child in the family grows up feeling neglected. This feeling can stay with them for life. There is also emotional distance between the youngest child in the family and the older or younger child. This feeling of neglect can give rise to hidden loneliness in their minds and they can take advantage of this situation to enable them to be more independent, rebellious or able to handle difficult situations.
Middle child syndrome is not an unfamiliar topic in the world of psychology. Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler first began discussing the personality of children in the family. In the 1920s, he claimed that the order in which children were born into a family played an important role in their personality development. First babies are usually responsible and younger babies are more affectionate. Young children, on the other hand, acquire different emotional traits to find their place in both. In 1928, Adler stated that birth order influences mental development even when born in the same family. She believes that older children feel stronger because parents have higher expectations of them.
On the other hand, the younger child grows up in a loving family. Slow babies are usually balanced. Being surrounded by older and younger siblings, he may have some trouble adjusting. According to the US health website Healthline.com, young children’s personalities are often overshadowed by other siblings. Because the elder is strong and the younger is dear to the family. This makes the personality of the young child relatively stressed. They may also feel that their relationship with their parents is not given the same importance as other siblings. Older children receive more responsibility, younger children receive more care, and younger children receive less attention.
Young children may feel pressured to compete with older and younger siblings for their parents’ attention. They are also in danger of being neglected as a result of such competition. They are often seen in the role of mediators as they are in the middle of various family disputes. Young children usually do not think of themselves as their parents’ favorite children. In the family, the elder is considered special and the younger as the baby, so that the middle child does not get a chance to be loved by anyone.
Many people believe that the effects of middle child syndrome are not limited to childhood, but continue into adulthood. People who feel neglected in childhood grow up to be overly dependent on others in relationships. Others prefer to play the role of mediator at work or in the family. They may also feel uncomfortable thinking of themselves as a close friend or spouse’s favorite person. Some older studies looked at linking birth order to psychiatric conditions such as OCD and depression, although the results were conflicting.
A recent study in Japan found that Mazu children may be slightly less happy than other siblings during adolescence, but are less likely to suffer from emotional problems. According to the American Psychological Association, there is no definite prediction of mental status from birth order. A study of more than 700,000 people through 2024 found that younger children are more supportive, understanding and tolerant than other siblings. Relationships with older and younger siblings improve their negotiation skills. They are more independent and tend to question conventional norms.
However, according to psychologists, while this feeling of neglect is real, birth order is not the only factor. Such problems can be overcome to a large extent if families are aware and parents give equal attention to each child. Most importantly, every child is unique. It does not matter whether he is the first, middle or last child in the family. During childhood, a person’s personality is shaped by many environmental and family factors. Therefore, the best way to understand a young child is to love and respect him as an individual, not just as a middle child.
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