The perceived experiences of last borns

Abstract

“Is it possible that the order in which children are born..can play such a role that it changes development for each child within the same family system?” Alexandra C. (2012). This paper aims to tackle this question by approaching the research done by several psychologists including Alfred Adler who claims that a child’s birth order is the predictor of the child’s future characteristics. My research question “What are the perceived experiences of last borns on their personality?” aims to explore whether or not birth order is essential to explaining certain growth and developmental phenomenon affecting an individual’s experiences and consequent outcomes. An IPA framework was used to present an analytic portrait of each of the four individual participants in which experiential themes were identified. For example, last borns perceive an unspoken expectation to live up to their siblings’ achievements resulting in their either following in their footsteps or branching out to find themselves in something entirely different. This shall present a clear picture of how the participants experience and make sense of their personality in relation to their specific birth order, thus shedding more light on the development of personality in a significant manner.