The youngest gets more attention and fewer expectations. They wonder what they can do to be "special." The combination of less parental responsiveness and the “identity crisis” of not having a specific role in the family can make middle children feel less valued, so they may act out to get attention.
Middle children may have trouble feeling equal to their siblings in parental relationships. The older sibling often holds more responsibilities, and the younger sibling is well taken care of by the parents. The middle child isn't given as much attention as either.
They're probably not praised like their older sibling or coddled like their younger one, which makes them feel excluded or neglected. This phenomenon, called middle child syndrome, also leaves them without a sense of place within the family.
Overall, 38 percent of Americans who are the youngest in their family report they were the favorite, compared to 27 percent of those who were oldest. Middle children are the least likely to say they were a favorite child; only 20 percent believe they were.
Middle children are good under pressure
Some research shows that firstborn children have a higher risk of depression than middle or last born kids. Unlike firstborn kids, middles are usually under less pressure from their parents to succeed.
Being a middle child is tough. You're a younger sibling, but also an older one, and you often just ended up being overshadowed by both — but not on August 12, a.k.a. Middle Child Day. It's finally your turn to shine and share what it was like growing up — and it's not all bad! Being independent from a young age.
Middle children are good at compromise (they have had to learn to be) and usually end up with someone most like them, but can really pair well with anyone. Middle children tend to be more satisfied with marriage in general, but they seem to pair best with spouses who are the youngest in their family.
The survey concluded that parents tend to favour their youngest child over the elder. More than half of the parents quizzed said they preferred their youngest child, while only 26 per cent said that their favourite child was their eldest.
The middle child
Stereotype: Social butterfly, peacekeeper, fairness-obsessed.
The tendency to become whatever the oldest is not
"If the oldest is responsible, the middle often reacts by being lighthearted or rebellious," says Dr. Daramus "If the oldest is popular and outgoing, the middle child might be more studious or artistic."
Middle children are associated with weaker self-esteem, and experts are rightfully concerned about this. On the other hand, middle children are far less likely to be narcissistic than their elder or younger siblings.
Middle children often feel happy in their relationships.
"Middles make great partners and friends," Schumann said. As Schumann told Psychology Today, studies show that middles also tend to be the most adventurous when it comes to sex and are often the happiest and most satisfied in their relationships.
No matter the situation, we're used to things not going our way. Therefore, the middle child is a resilient beast. We don't crumble under pressure (like the baby of the family), nor are we prone to getting a big head (like our older siblings). We're just strong and grounded AF.
If you're the firstborn child, your birth order would be referred to as the oldest child. If you're the second born, you're a middle child—however, there can be multiple middle kids in a family.
According to Adler, the first born is more susceptible to depression because of high expectations of parents and suddenly losing the attention due to another sibling being born.
Your success in life may be influenced by your birth order, according to the economist Sandra E. Black. Black points to research she and her colleagues have conducted that found that firstborns tend to be smarter, richer, and all-around more successful than their younger siblings.
However, the concept of middle child syndrome is not medically proven. In fact, no recent studies have found any strong correlation between birth order and specific personality traits. Some older studies do, but the results vary. Everyone's experience of being a middle child is different.
Middle children are unfairly stereotyped as apprehensive underachievers who suffer from parental neglect, but research shows that they're actually quite ambitious: Many middle children grow up to be the most successful members of their families, and several have gone onto become some of the most accomplished people in ...
The youngest gets more attention and fewer expectations. They wonder what they can do to be "special." The combination of less parental responsiveness and the “identity crisis” of not having a specific role in the family can make middle children feel less valued, so they may act out to get attention.
Middles are used to not getting their own way, and so they become savvy, skillful manipulators. They can see all sides of a question and are empathetic and judge reactions well. They are more willing to compromise, and so they can argue successfully. Since they often have to wait around as kids, they're more patient.
Result: All of the narcissistic personality traits, except one (“Is interpersonally exploitative “) were significantly more prevalent among first-born children (p<0.05).
Middle children are great mediators
“A middle child will hold a special relationship with each sibling, which helps him or her be able to mediate between the two and provide a balance between the oldest and youngest,” Guarino says.
The middle child syndrome is a psychological condition where a child, who is the middle one in between two siblings, feels left out. The middle child's behaviour towards her siblings becomes negative. The middle child feels pangs of jealousy and inadequacy, has low self-esteem and becomes an introvert.