Re:self-esteem in relation to birth order

As I understand the concept of birth order in the Adlerian perspective, one's place in the family constellation is not the determining factor but ones perception of the place and what one does with that position. Just as it would be with an organ inferiority, a person could perceive their disability as a limitation that gives them a right to be cared for and causes them to perceive the self as less than. Or, they can take that disability, see it as an opportunity to develop other strengths to compensate and then seek to make a contribution to others. Hellen Keller is an example. In the family a third child may feel they can never catch up or be as good as the older children. That may develop a life-style in the child that says, "I will always be a looser" and then withdraw from fully engaging in the tasks of life. Or, they can draw from hidden strengths, develop a style of life that says "I can never give up, nothing will get me down!" They may become a champion for the people and have a particular interest in empowering the under privileged. It is a matter of what one has, how they perceive it in relation to the self, and what one does with it (socially useful vs. socially useless). I may be wrong but this is the way I apply the principle here.

Craig

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