Your Research Proposal is a six- to seven-page plan for a new study on your research topic. Incorporate at least four scholarly/peer-reviewed journal articles in addition to the course text to support

Birth Order and Achievement Motivation in Siblings

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Birth Order and Achievement Motivation in Siblings

Competitiveness is a natural characteristic amongst humans and may be more prevalent between siblings. The order in which siblings are born may play a significant role in achievement motivations. It has been previously argued that firstborns have supremacy in intellectual competencies, heightened leadership expectation, and achievement motivations due to the pressures and societal expectations of paving the way for later-born siblings or following generational traditions (Adams & Phillips, 1972). The study of birth order is essential in examining the correlation between birth order and achievement motivation in children. Research on this topic will identify the inherent stress and expectations placed on siblings depending on birth order, the psychological toll of not meeting societal expectations, effects on leadership abilities and self-concept, birth defects, and determine if traditional gender roles play a significant role. This research paper will identify the relevance of birth order and indicate the responsibility of birth order in facilitating a motivational role in personal and professional achievement.

Relationships of Birth Order, Dogmatism, and Achievement Motivation

Despite the various effects of birth orders on health, personal behavior, and intellectual performance, the workforce of these effects and the nature of the effects on life situations present many variables to a successful life for siblings. Some personality variables which exist in the birth order perspective are dogmatism and achievement motivation. Fakouri (1947) aimed to identify whether the personality variables of dogmatism and achievement motivation have a strong relationship with birth orders in siblings. The study consisted of 122 male and female graduate students with various ordinal positions. Precisely, birth order is a crucial determinant in personality development.

In this relation, the firstborn is more observant of the past than the future; they work on the mentorship of power and govern the family's rules and laws. This relationship theory drives birth order to a new pace of comparative research between authoritarianism and conservatism. According to the authoritarian motive, the male firstborns were less likely to enforce more authority than the lastborn. The relation of birth orders views firstborns as having more achievements than the later siblings due to the early treatments by the parents. The presumable outcome relation among the dogmatism and conservatism towards the achievement motivation is that the firstborn relation to the last born is inconclusive. However, there are various changes in dogmatism according to sex, where males exceed women. The nature of dogmatism and authoritarianism is neither linked to the ordinal birth nor individual personality (Fakouri, 1947).

Fakouri’s study revealed that although there was no significant correlation between birth order and certain personality variables, parental interactions and relationships may be the most influential and consistent factor in achievement motivation. How parents interact with their children is sometimes dependent on birth order. For example, firstborn children may receive more direction and responsibilities compared to their younger siblings. Being the oldest child may have its perks. However, it also has the added responsibility of enforcing parental standards and being the example, thus cultivating higher achievement motivation in firstborn children than their siblings. This study supported that achievement motivation was influenced by birth order based on parental interactions.

Study the Effect of Achievement Motivation among Birth Orders

Birth order plays an essential role, and its responsibilities are sometimes normalized in various social customs and life experiences. The ordinal position in siblings has impacted some social and political transformations. According to personality, the relation of the firstborn and the second-born siblings is that personality is affected by the niche sibling's adoption to access the parental resources (Srivastava, 2011). Within a family setting, the role of birth orders remains to be considered in the expression of social attitudes, family groups, and families' personalities. Srivastava’s research aimed to identify the effects of birth order on an individual’s life, specifically the variables influencing achievement motivation. The effects of birth order are more muted in non-family contexts as compared to the family contentions. Psychology usually discusses the role of birth order and the interests of the siblings in relation to the parents. Psychology examines birth order to affect several areas of an individual's life, including the individual's self-esteem and personality. Similar characteristics pre-exist to different people either ranked as oldest, middle, youngest, or any variety of ranking (Srivastava, 2011).

Perhaps, similar characteristics usually affect other aspects of life (that is, achievement motivation). The firstborns are more achieving than the second-born; therefore, there is a need to motivate the second-born towards goal achievement besides the domination they may incur during their upbringing. Therefore, the achievement motivation of school-going children can result from relevant birth order that has a significant influence on an individual's personality and self-esteem. Young children have varied social environments despite growing in the same geographical area and setting, sharing the same parents (Srivastava, 2011). The birth order proclaims siblings as depending on their parents and the oldest individual in the family being centered for everything. There exists a significant relationship between birth order and competitiveness. The first and the middle children scored higher than the last born on competitiveness. It may be that the presence of competitiveness encourages the relationship between the birth order and achievement.

Birth Order and Mother-Child Interaction in an Achievement Situation

Achievement motivation is often considered an evolutionary theory, as the roles and responsibilities within ordinal positions and personal motivations are consistently changing. Personalities, socialization, and parental interactions are essential in understanding the premises of achievement motivation. Rothbart’s study aimed to identify the relationship between maternal interactions and birth order influences achievement motivation in siblings. The maternal interaction with the firstborn compared to the last born is compulsively an increasing factor in the birth order. This suggests that firstborns will gain more knowledge in school and later life. Parents are viewed to have an overestimation of the firstborn's ability. A birth order difference between the firstborn and the lastborn, according to the parents, is that a parent will create time to give a complex technical explanation or additional responsibilities to the firstborn than the lastborn (Rothbart, 1971). It was speculated that parents might place additional strains on firstborn children who share the same gender because of closed relatability. This study supported the claim that birth order subconsciously influenced parental interactions and expectations, thus cultivating achievement motivation in their children based on gender and ordinal position.

Conclusion

In closing, the study of family dynamics, specifically the birth order of siblings, is beneficial when examining the correlation between birth order and achievement motivation. Observant studies have been conducted to understand the effect of birth order which has barely laid on personality beliefs. The differing socialization experience for children of varied ordinal positions does not regard parents' behavior to children with different birth order. The achievement motivation has been evident to any children despite the personality and the type of birth order. Therefore, it is clear to indicate that the achievement motivation in children may be based on their personality, socialization, familial responsibilities, upbringing.

References

Adams, R. L., & Phillips, B. N. (1972). Motivational and achievement differences among children of various ordinal birth positions. Child Development, 43(1), 155–164.

Fakouri, M. E. (1974). Relationships of birth order, dogmatism and achievement motivation. Journal of Individual Psychology (00221805), 30(2), 216.

Rothbart, M. K. (1971). Birth order and mother-child interaction in an achievement situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 17(2), 113–120.

Srivastava, S. K. (2011). Study the effect of achievement motivation among birth orders. Journal of Psychosocial Research, 6(2), 169–178.