Youngest Child in Family Essay Example

Are you the youngest of your family? The notion that the youngest child has it the easiest among the parents. The parents place all the responsibilities and hopes on the oldest; the middle children aren't even noticed by the parents and the youngest child receives all the freedom and attention. I grew up as the youngest of 4 children and received the same treatment except for extra freedom and attention due to the fact that I am regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. The experiences and relationships helped shape me into the person that I am today.

To what extent do stereotypes influence our sense of identity? Generalisations and preconceptions evoke assumptions, brush over complexities and silence human emotion. My life being the youngest was fully different from anyone else I grew up realising and the ones I could empathise with being the youthful one have been my older siblings; nonetheless, none of them knew the way in which it felt to be the youngest. I wasn’t too far behind my siblings' ages, other than my oldest sister who is six years older than me. My second oldest sister is three years older than me and my only brother is 1 year older than me. Being close in age has brought us even closer as we connect more and can share similar experiences. The earliest recollection is when we would go on night drives, listening and singing to early 2000s music, reminiscing about our childhood memories. Moreover, there is little to no reason to question a generalisation if we have no personal experience, hence we are more inclined to conform to the expectations placed by society through the idea of how one should act or would act. When we talk about individuals in terms of a stereotype; for instance family dynamic; The youngest child is often viewed as the spoiled one, the one who has it the easiest among the siblings. This actively demonstrates preconceptions in society on how they perceive one would act versus how they really act.

Life of the youngest child has provided me with opportunities to learn from the experiences of my older siblings. It’s like life is a big classroom and you are seated in the back row, you get to experience and observe all your siblings go through all of their exams. This enables you to observe and understand the mistakes being made along with the consequences that occur later. The youngest child is gifted with the wisdom and knowledge passed down from the older siblings. You know what mistakes not to make because you’ve internalised the lessons others learn firsthand. 

In addition, a recent study has explored the influence of the relationships with your siblings and its impact on self-identity. According to the article, ‘ It’s the first social grouping that we are exposed to and something we refer back to throughout our lifetime.’ This actively demonstrates the significant impact of the relationships between the youngest child and the older siblings as they shape the way you think, behave and socially interact with others.  In addition, the reoccurring perception that the youngest is spoiled with gifts, freedom and attention. For as long as I can remember, I have been getting away with a lot of stuff because my older siblings should have known better to receive privileges that my older siblings didn’t have at my age. By the time the youngest child is born, parents have more experience and tend to be more lenient towards them, therefore allowing their youngest child to have more freedom. Although, this can make parents more protective of the youngest child as they are regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. The Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler was the first theorist to suggest that birth order influences personality. This actively demonstrates your family position can affect an individual's personal experiences and development. His birth order theory described how your family environment shapes an individual's thoughts and behaviours, thus impacting the way you perceive yourself through personal experiences and the relationships you form along the way. Self -perception alludes to the general thought of whom an individual thinks they are. Therefore, achieving a sense of belonging and identity within your family.

Does our birth order define our sense of identity? the notion that our personal identity is linked to the order in which we come into our family. Alfred Adler's theory suggests that your family position can be a determining factor in shaping your thoughts and behaviours, thus impacting self-perception. Although the youngest is often spoiled and receives more freedom, they also gain more protection as they are regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. Therefore, the experiences and relationships formed shapes an individual's sense of identity and belonging within their family.

Are you the youngest of your family? The notion that the youngest child has it the easiest among the parents. The parents place all the responsibilities and hopes on the oldest; the middle children aren't even noticed by the parents and the youngest child receives all the freedom and attention. I grew up as the youngest of 4 children and received the same treatment except for extra freedom and attention due to the fact that I am regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. The experiences and relationships helped shape me into the person that I am today.

To what extent do stereotypes influence our sense of identity? Generalisations and preconceptions evoke assumptions, brush over complexities and silence human emotion. My life being the youngest was fully different from anyone else I grew up realising and the ones I could empathise with being the youthful one have been my older siblings; nonetheless, none of them knew the way in which it felt to be the youngest. I wasn’t too far behind my siblings' ages, other than my oldest sister who is six years older than me. My second oldest sister is three years older than me and my only brother is 1 year older than me. Being close in age has brought us even closer as we connect more and can share similar experiences. The earliest recollection is when we would go on night drives, listening and singing to early 2000s music, reminiscing about our childhood memories. Moreover, there is little to no reason to question a generalisation if we have no personal experience, hence we are more inclined to conform to the expectations placed by society through the idea of how one should act or would act. When we talk about individuals in terms of a stereotype; for instance family dynamic; The youngest child is often viewed as the spoiled one, the one who has it the easiest among the siblings. This actively demonstrates preconceptions in society on how they perceive one would act versus how they really act.

Life of the youngest child has provided me with opportunities to learn from the experiences of my older siblings. It’s like life is a big classroom and you are seated in the back row, you get to experience and observe all your siblings go through all of their exams. This enables you to observe and understand the mistakes being made along with the consequences that occur later. The youngest child is gifted with the wisdom and knowledge passed down from the older siblings. You know what mistakes not to make because you’ve internalised the lessons others learn firsthand. 

In addition, a recent study has explored the influence of the relationships with your siblings and its impact on self-identity. According to the article, ‘ It’s the first social grouping that we are exposed to and something we refer back to throughout our lifetime.’ This actively demonstrates the significant impact of the relationships between the youngest child and the older siblings as they shape the way you think, behave and socially interact with others.  In addition, the reoccurring perception that the youngest is spoiled with gifts, freedom and attention. For as long as I can remember, I have been getting away with a lot of stuff because my older siblings should have known better to receive privileges that my older siblings didn’t have at my age. By the time the youngest child is born, parents have more experience and tend to be more lenient towards them, therefore allowing their youngest child to have more freedom. Although, this can make parents more protective of the youngest child as they are regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. The Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler was the first theorist to suggest that birth order influences personality. This actively demonstrates your family position can affect an individual's personal experiences and development. His birth order theory described how your family environment shapes an individual's thoughts and behaviours, thus impacting the way you perceive yourself through personal experiences and the relationships you form along the way. Self -perception alludes to the general thought of whom an individual thinks they are. Therefore, achieving a sense of belonging and identity within your family.

Does our birth order define our sense of identity? the notion that our personal identity is linked to the order in which we come into our family. Alfred Adler's theory suggests that your family position can be a determining factor in shaping your thoughts and behaviours, thus impacting self-perception. Although the youngest is often spoiled and receives more freedom, they also gain more protection as they are regarded as the ‘baby’ of the family. Therefore, the experiences and relationships formed shapes an individual's sense of identity and belonging within their family.