Theoretical Framework

Alfred Adler was one of the first theorists to suggest that birth order influences
personality. He argued that birth order often can leave permanent impression on the individual's
style of life, which is a habitual way of dealing with the tasks of friendship, love, and work.
Other birth order factors that should be considered are the spacing in years between siblings the
total number of children and the changing circumstances of the parents over time.
It is very important to feel the child that they are love, accepted and wanted because this
will be their foundation in enhancing and while developing their self-concept. According to
Adler middle child Likely to be adaptable, diplomatic and good at bringing people together,
middle children are often popular and patient. However, because their role in the family changes
from youngest to middle, it is thought that they often struggle to establish a clear role for
themselves, and many go through a period of rebellion.
Middle child have a multiple range of personalities. The middle children are motivated by
the fact they have never been truly in the center of attention. The firstborn always seems to be
achieving ahead, while the younger sibling is secure in his or her niche as the entertainer of the
family. According to Adler the middle or second born child or may fight to receive attention from
parents because they may often feel that they are being ignored or dubbed that can cause
children often have the sense of not belonging. They also tend to have fewer pictures in the
family photo album alone, compared to firstborns.
In addition, being in the middle child can feel insecure. Their relationships may effect
throughout their whole life. They also tend to see life from a hopeless point of view and will
often become depressed. The middle child often lacks drive and looks for direction from the first

born child. Sometimes a middle child feels out of place because they are not over achievers and
like to go with the flow of things. In addi0tion, middle children are often believed to be natural
mediators and may avoid conflict.
The middle child may have an even-temper and a take it or leave it attitude. Alfred Adler
(1964) believed that the middle child feels torn out of a position of privilege and significance.
The child is internally compelled to find peace within the family and may have trouble finding a
place or become a fighter of injustice. Therefore, a middle child tends to find it difficult in
developing themselves because of lack in attention in his family or love ones.
On the other hand, middle children can be competitive, they do not have the time on their
own with their parents that oldest children enjoy, and their role as the baby of the family is
supplanted, so they have to find other ways of getting their parents' attention. Therefore, middle
children sometimes experience less interaction and receive less attention. As a result, they can be
introverted and end up with underdeveloped social skills. Getting less attention can mean having
more room to do your own thing outside the family.