Some people doubt that birth order can affect personality. The main argument those people depend on is that not all children who belong to the same birth order have the same personality traits.

For example, a common middle child usually lacks self-esteem. Still, many middle children who have a good level of self-confidence help those people challenge this theory.

The one factor that those people didn’t consider is that many other factors, including the coping style of the child, the parenting style of his parents, and his birth order, determines his personality and not just his birth order.

That’s why a middle child who learned how to face problems could develop personality traits such as courage and confidence, while a middle child who learned how to run from problems will become shy and withdrawn.

Middle child personality traits

The elder child usually develops leadership abilities because his parents always assign him to take care of his younger siblings. The Youngest child finds himself spoiled because of the excessive attention he gets from his parents.

Now the challenge that the middle child faces is that he squeezes between two other siblings who get most of the attention.

As a result of this situation, the middle child might develop these personality traits:

• Low self-esteem: If the middle child didn’t learn how to cope with that situation, he will develop low self-esteem and become socially withdrawn because of believing that there is something wrong with him
• Shyness: The middle child might develop a personality trait such as shyness if he felt overlooked. Many people look at shyness superficially without understanding that it’s usually an indication of their low estimation of their self-worth. As a result of not getting enough attention, the middle child might think that he is inferior and develops shyness.
• Middle children are diplomats: Middle children usually become diplomats and peacemakers who help the youngest, and the eldest get along. In some cases, The middle child might develop excessive jealousy of his siblings and then grow up thinking that he is not loved or overlooked.
• Middle children can become problem children: If the middle child started becoming rebellious against the lack of attention, he might turn into a problem child. Many people don’t understand that the personality traits problem children develop result from the need for attention that they crave for.

The middle child syndrome

Because of the little attention he gets, the middle child might start to think that he is not worthy of being loved, otherwise known as the middle child syndrome.

This feeling results in many problems that the middle child faces in his future because he always doubts whether people want him or not.

A typical middle child might always question his partner’s love in a relationship as a result of feeling unloved.

Can the personality traits of middle children be changed?

Our childhood experiences shape our personalities and determine who we are; however, the good news is that individual psychology, which is my field of expertise, is based upon the fact that whatever was learned in childhood can be unlearned in adulthood.

If you have some of the middle child personality traits that I just mentioned and if you feel bad about them, then know that you can certainly change them if you knew how to take the right steps.

Personality analysis and psychology describe the final personality traits the person has reached, but this doesn’t mean that there is no more room for additional changes.