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Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence

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Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence Thesis by Esha Kamath Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology State University of New York Empire State College 2015 Reader: Dr. Judith Gerardi, Ph.D. Acknowledgment First and foremost, the biggest thank you goes to my mentor, Dr. Judith Gerardi, for guiding me and constantly supporting me through each and every step of the thesis madness. She calmed my every confusion and directed me towards the right direction every time I lost my way- with the indecisiveness, change in topics, silly queries- everything. Second, I would like to thank Prof. Humberto Aguilera for being so patient and kind and guiding me through the entire process of the statistical analysis of this study. This research would not have seen the light of day without him. I would also like to thank my parents without whom I would not have received the opportunity to travel and study abroad and expand my horizons. A major thank you goes to my lovely sister who has stood by me through every situation and tolerated my every outburst throughout this process, despite the long distance. And lastly, I would like to thank all of my friends who have helped me and supported my work the entire time. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Abstract………………………………………………………………………4 Introduction…………………………………………………………………..5 Birth Order as a Research Variable…………………………………………..5 Emotional Intelligence as a Research Variable……………………………..17 Gender and Cultural Differences in Emotional Intelligence………………..22 Overview of Current Study…………………………………………………26 Methodology………………………………………………………………..29 Results………………………………………………………………………35 Discussion…………………………………………………………………..46 Conclusion………………………………………………………………….57 Appendix 1…………………………………………………………………61 Appendix 2…………………………………………………………………65 Bibliography………………………………………………………………..69 Works Cited………………………………………………………………...79 Abstract The topic of birth order is a popular research variable in the field of psychology, and emotional intelligence, although relatively new, is being vigorously studied by researchers in the field. Adler described birth order as the ordinal position one attains within the family. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, can be reduced down to one common definition of understanding and interpreting one’s own as well as others’ emotions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between these two variables and the differences one may experience in levels of emotional intelligence based on birth order. Hypotheses developed assumed that mean differences will be observed in the (five) competencies of emotional intelligence based on birth order. A target population of 40 Indian students from the city of Mumbai participated in the study and nominated 3 raters each as well. However, the results of the study yielded no significant mean differences between the two variables, and all five hypotheses were negated. Additional analysis of gender partially supported the hypothesis that gender would produce mean differences in emotional intelligence. Although vast research exists on the two variables separately, more research is necessary on the variables and their relationship to each other. Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence 5 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Birth Order as a Research Variable: Birth order is a topic being explored vigorously by researchers. A relatively new introduction to the field of psychology, the birth order theory has gained a significant amount of attention from researchers and theorists in the past few decades. One primary reason for its popularity can be credited to the fact that individuals from almost all cultures can relate to it. It is theorized that our birth order begins to define us since early childhood. For instance, we may hear a mother explain that her little one has difficulty sharing because he or she is an only child, or that younger siblings must respect their older siblings as if they were their parents. One may expect or notice that a first-born child shows greater respect towards older family members, shows greater sense of responsibility, is more ambitious, and sometimes, even dominant or authoritative towards his or her younger siblings. These noticeable aspects provide a general basis for speculation of an individual’s behavior to laymen. We will explore these aspects in depth below. Eisenman (2014) points out that the behavior of parents towards their children creates a significant effect on the child’s behavior and can influence the development of Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence 6 his or her personality as well. For instance, in the case of the first-born child, research (mentioned below) has found that they are more inclined to showing higher levels of anxiety in comparison to their later-born siblings. Why is this the case? This can be explained by the parents’ behavior towards the first-born child- they are new to idea of raising a child, they have never experienced parental anxiety before and are therefore, more cautious towards every action related to the first-born child. By the time they have a second or third child, they are habituated to the routine of caring for a child and tend to ease up their hold on the chains of anxiety that bound them at the time of their first-child experience. However, we cannot, of course, believe that every first-born child will show an anxious personality as exceptions to such cases are bound to exist. Adler on Birth Order: Alfred Adler was one of the first psychologists who theorized that the sequence in which we are born into a family may play a vital role in the development of our personalities. He suggested that “first born children are more likely to be conscientious, serious, goal-directed, aggressive, rule-conscious, competitive, high in self-esteem, etc.” (Alfred Adler Research on Birth Order) “Whereas, middle-borns may have a range of different personalities” (Alfred Adler Research on Birth Order). One may notice, middle- born children show aspects of overachievement, or the exact opposite of it, in their personalities. This can be a result of them being unable to “fit into” the family. They may typically be very social and may have a number of friends and social interactions due to Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence 7 the attention they receive from those outside of their family. It is commonly understood as a means of compensating for the lack of attention parents provide to the middle-born children. They are constantly struggling for the attention of their parents. Therefore, middle-borns also tend to be extraverted due to their yearning to carve a niche for themselves within the family. While the older sibling tends to live the life of an overachiever, and the younger as the “star”, it is only logical that the middle-born child will want to establish a status for himself or herself within the family dynamic. Adler explains that lastborn children usually take up the status of the “entertainer” of the family. They are typically laid back, and dependent on their parents or others. Even though this may not be true of all last-borns, it is commonly observed that these children are treated as the “baby” of the family and are coddled and pampered a lot; which in turn leads to their dependent behavior (Alfred Adler Research on Birth Order). Adler also provides explanations of typical behaviors observed in twins and single children, however, throughout this study, focus is placed on only first- and last-born individuals, with both parents in common. Birth order research has explored a large number of variables related to it such as self-esteem, intelligence, personality traits, leadership, etc. Although there is much discussion over the influences of birth order on personality, with some researchers arguing there is no effect, studies have found slight differences between first-born and Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence 8 later-born children; the chronological order of children’s births has also been found to influence how the parents treat them (Eisenman, 2014). As a research variable, Kenneth Kammeyer (1967) points out that the influence or importance of birth order is discovered by researchers while being engaged in other research. He notes that birth order is usually “stumbled upon” as a factor or indicator of some dependent variable. However, hardly any research explains “why”. This feature of the variable of birth order tends to confuse those trying to interpret previous research about it. He stresses that it is vital that researchers begin to explore the reason behind “why” birth order tends to affect behavior (if it does). We must begin exploring it as an intrinsically meaningful variable rather than just an indicator of “something” (Kammeyer, 1967). And while one conducts research on birth order as a predictive variable, there is no strong research which provides reason as to why it may or may not predict something. Rather, most researchers turn to theories provided by Adler or Freud to explain their stance. Kammeyer (1967) believes that “the thing most needed is some outline or framework which will allow the systematic categorization and assessment of the already advanced theoretical interpretive links between ordinal position and the various dependent variables”. He believes that any differences in behaviors or characteristics between children of different ordinal positions, is most likely a result of their possibly different social and familial experiences. Therefore, he proposes a framework for the Effects of Birth Order and Gender Differences on Emotional Intelligence 9 systematic analysis of the influence of birth order i.e. by focusing on the most basic level. By this, he means that studies must focus on the patterns of behavior occurring within nuclear families, and find the most obvious and noticeable characteristics of these interactions. Once we have established a foundation, we can move on to studying higher levels of interactions such as those with extended families, peers, etc.
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