I am the second of four children. I am also the only girl - the rose among thorns, so to speak. My brothers and I are each two years apart. So what does that mean in relation to my potential for creativity? Possibly nothing and possibly everything. Birth order, sibsize (the number of children in a family), sibling constellation (the closeness in age of each child), and gender differences all play a part in shaping a person as he grows from childhood into adulthood. Therefore, it seems that these factors might also play a role in the cultivation or deprivation of creativity that occurs as a person matures.
A variety of research studies have been conducted on this polar issue - some resulting in the conclusion that birth order and other family factors are appropriate to use when predicting creative potential in a person and others coming to the opposite conclusion. Within the debate are conflicting results from the collected data - are the most creative people only children, eldest, middle, or youngest siblings?
To find out what this and other studies say and how they relate to you, look for articles on creativity and birth order or sibling constellation. Here are two articles I found:
A study done by Baer, Oldham, Hollingshead, & Jacobsohn (2005) concluded that "growing up with a large group of opposite-sex siblings or with a large group of siblings relatively close in age seems to positively affect the creativity of firstborns." I am not a first born, but the rest of the conclusion is in my favor. I guess I have my brothers and my mother who raised us so close in age to thank for part of the creativity I experience today.
To find out what this and other studies say and how they relate to you , look for articles on creativity and birth order or siblings conselation. here are two articles I found:
Baer, M., Oldham, G. R., Hollingshead, A. B. (1986). Birth-order and divergent thinking. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 148, 119-125.
- Mary Beth McCune, Graduate Student
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