Table of contents:
- The advantages of being the middle child in the family
- 1. Be more willing to take risks
- 2. Have good negotiation skills
- 3. Able to better manage ego and emotions
- 4. More cheerful and can be the ideal partner
The eldest child is usually used as a guide and even a foundation of hope for the family, while the last child is the child who is most pampered and loved. So, what about the middle child? If you are a middle child, maybe you often feel that something is different about you and are most often compared to your older siblings or like to get blamed for fighting over toys with your younger sibling when you were young. Even so, actually as a middle child you have many advantages. What are the benefits and advantages of being a middle child psychologically?
The advantages of being the middle child in the family
Even though sometimes the middle child feels that he is not too cared for because all the attention is focused on the younger sibling and the family's hopes rest on the older brother, in fact there are several psychological advantages that the middle child has over the oldest and youngest children.
Yes, according to Catherine Salmon, Ph.D., a psychology professor from the University of Rendlands, it is precisely this family situation that will shape the strengths and skills of the middle child. Therefore, middle children have more abilities, namely:
1. Be more willing to take risks
A study examining the behavior of middle-order children revealed that as many as 85 percent of middle-order children who participated were more likely to take the risks and challenges that lay ahead of them than their siblings or younger siblings.
Experts claim that this is because middle children tend to be more open, so they are easy to absorb new knowledge and insights. This ability also makes them better able to measure risk. This also makes it easier for them to approach or solve a problem.
2. Have good negotiation skills
Negotiation skills are acquired by middle children when they try to get what they want from their other siblings without causing a fuss that could upset their parents.
From the conditions experienced as a child, will form the personality of the child in the middle order and finally they understand how to negotiate well with someone - even though at that time he did it to his brother or sister.
3. Able to better manage ego and emotions
When you are the middle order child, you are required to be able to give in to the younger siblings and at the same time share with the older siblings. This shapes the personality of the child who is born in the middle order to become a person who is more able to control his ego and emotions.
Therefore, the professor stated that the middle order child has the potential to become a good leader, a successful businessman, to a romantic partner. Yes, the middle child is considered more capable of meeting and balancing the needs of others than with his own.
4. More cheerful and can be the ideal partner
This is mentioned in the book entitled The Secret Power of Middle Children by Catherine Salmon, who proved that middle-order children tend to be happier and can have long-lasting romantic relationships. It was stated that their empathy and ability to negotiate allowed them to have the ideal relationship.
However, of course every child's personality will be influenced by their upbringing and family environment. So, do you feel that you have one of these advantages?