I think that whether a child has a sibiling or not has a lot to do with how they behave later in life. I heard before that first born tends to be more leader like, extrovert, and confident. The younger tends to be supportive, and smart. When they grow up, the first born is likely to become a leader, and face a lot of trouble, but confidently face them. The younger having seen what the older goes through, learns the know how to solve the troubles. Younger is less leader like but very supportive of his surroundings. When i heard this i thought that this was true because i have a younger sibiling and this case matches exactly to my family.
I kind of agree with this hypothesis, though I wouldn't necessarily say that the first and second have certain attributes. More generally, I feel that the oldest and youngest siblings will have counter-strengths and weaknesses. If the older sibling is wild, the younger will probably be more conservative. I do feel that the older child is generally more uptight or responsible because he/she is told by his/her parents to take on more responsibility, while youngest children tend to be more of free-spirited.
Let's not forget about the middle child though! I feel that middle children will usually fall into two categories: attention needy or invisible. Middle children can either grow up seeking attention that they do not recieve from their family or they will enjoy not being seen and kind of blending into the background.
I have 3 brothers, and this is not really the case. We each have our strengths, but the second is more of a leader than the first born. While I do agree that siblings definitely have an impact one's development later in life. I think that siblings also have an impact because of how parents treat each child. I know that in my family, if I had acted like the youngest, I would have been punished. However, with him, my parent let it slide, even when he call's people a bitch and he's 7.
Then again, the opposite can happen. When secure attachment goes too far and it turns into spoiling the child, then there can be a change in plans. The elder sibling might have felt like king/queen before, but might feel like he's being abandoned once he/she sees his/her younger sibling get all the attention, all the attachment, and all the care.
I agree that whether a child has siblings or not affect how they behave in later life. Being a first-born affects one to be a leader, a caring one, and etc. at least in one's family. It might affect a child's later life style in a positive way in conjunction with the attachment style she has. Presence of other siblings might have an opposite effects on later life. A first-born tend to feel she has a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders and it might conteract against the benefits of having a secure attachment style as a child, such as the well-being of life.
