Middle child

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A middle child (also sandwich child and in between child) is a child who has both older and younger siblings .

In sibling research, the extent to which sibling successes affect the personality of individual children is examined. The results are by no means clear, sometimes contradicting each other. Above all, the sex of the siblings and the time between them and the socio-cultural background in the family are very decisive factors.

Middle children take on the role of the younger sibling as later-born until they lose it again to the next child without being allowed to take the position of the older sibling (this is rarely vacated). Unlike the first-born , they have to compete for the parents' attention from birth , but lose the special status of the youngest child to the baby when it is born.

Middle-aged children often find themselves in the ambivalence of being either “too small” or “too big” for many things, which is sometimes seen by them as being relatively practical and expanded accordingly.

literature

  • Kevin Leman: Sibling Constellations. The family determines your life. Moderne Verlagsgesellschaft, 2002, ISBN 3478088402 .
  • Wolfgang Endres: Siblings. Beltz, 5th edition, 2000, ISBN 340722821X .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Cf. Jutta Driver with several book titles with reference to Dazwischenkind / er.