Birth Order

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(Stephens 356).
The first born child is typically the success story in the family. They are the ones that are driven to succeed in high achievement fields such as science, medicine, and law (Leman, 13). For example, of the first twenty-three astronauts sent into space, twenty-one were first borns or the very similar only child. In fact, all seven astronauts of the original Mercury program were first born children (Leman, 12). Another trait that is often typical of the first born child is the tendency to choose careers that involve leadership. For instance, fifty-two percent of the United State's presidents have been first borns (Leman, 44).
First borns are "first come" and they are "first served" by eager parents who want to do this job of parenting better than anyone has done before (Leman, 42). This idea helps support research that indicates first born children walk and talk earlier than later borns. They get more coaching, prodding, and encouragement than ...

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more and better performance (Leman, 40). All things considered, first borns probably turn out the most "normal."
In addition to the labels mentioned before, first born children tend to be goal oriented, self-sacrificing, conservative, believers in authority and ritual, and self-reliant (Leman, 39). First borns, in general, are people who like structure and order. They have a tendency to enter professions that are rather exacting (Leman, 13). First born children can be found in great numbers in positions like accountants, bookkeepers, executive secretaries, engineers, and more recently, jobs including computers (Steelman 355). Some famous first borns that have gone on to be ...

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