Impact of Birth Order on Identity Formation of Adolescents

Tanya Sardana*, Meghna Ganesh**, Daisy Sharma***
*-*** Department of Psycology, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
Periodicity:February - April'2019
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jpsy.12.4.15521

Abstract

Identity formation has been a keen area of interest for researchers and it involves several physiological, cognitive, biological, emotional, and hormonal changes often influenced by the adolescent's social environment. Adler conceptualized the notion that birth order of a person can leave an indelible impression on an individual's style of life. Birth order has a profound effect on how an adolescent is perceived by their family and how a person relates to the amount of responsibility, independence, and freedom he or she has been given. Based on this ideology, this paper attempts to understand the influence of birth order on the identity formation of middle adolescents. The exploratory study undertakes a purposive sampling of 158 respondents (79 males and 79 females). Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ) and Global Adjustment Inventory were the tools used for data collection. Correlation analysis indicated significant relationship between identity and various dimensions of adjustment. t-ratios were applied to study gender differences, though no significant results were found. Also, one-way ANOVA was applied to study between group differences. However, findings suggested no significant differences between the first and third born individuals for their identity formation process.

Keywords

Birth Order, Identity, Adjustment, Correlation, Adolescents.

How to Cite this Article?

Sardana, T., Ganesh, M., and Sharma, D. (2019). Impact of Birth Order on Identity Formation of Adolescents. i-manager’s Journal on Educational Psychology, 12(4), 33-41. https://doi.org/10.26634/jpsy.12.4.15521

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