Every angle of life is affected by birth order, and birth order affects people. If life is a play, then birth order plays the main role. From the first breath to the last, birth order plays an important role in a person's life. People wouldn't be themselves if personalities weren't unique to each individual. Birth order affects relationships, among other things such as: career, personality, strengths, weaknesses and almost every aspect of life. Birth order is defined as the chronological order of births of siblings in a family. There are five ways to classify birth order: first, second, middle, last, and only child. Treatment plays an important role in the magnitude of the birth order effect. If to several sons a daughter is born, even if she is the middle child, she will be treated as a firstborn, because she is the only daughter. Age gap is also a major factor affecting birth order. Large age gaps result in starting the birth order again (Birth Order, p. 1-3). Referring to birth order, Dr. Hartstein, a psychologist, says: "Research has been done since the 1920s, and they actually found that over time, the things they found stay the same and prove to be honest and true representations of people (1).” A child's growth and personality are greatly affected by birth order and the effects will carry over into adulthood (Birth Order, p. 1). Anticipation is the best way to describe how parents feel when their firstborn is on the way. Firstborns expect perfection from themselves and everyone else. They are jealous, defensive, dominant, and ambitious (The Birth Order Effect, p. 4). Hartstein says, “What we need to think about about older children is that they are prone to anxiety (2). » Driven by success, first b...... middle of paper ......how? They are too dependent on each other. » Seeing how birth order affects people, it's easy to see clearly how birth order affects relationships. Relationships are influenced by many factors, but birth order is major. There are specific birth positions that blend better than others. Birth order can have positive or negative effects on everything. When matched correctly, relationships can be much stronger because of birth order. When matched incorrectly, birth order can tear a relationship apart. Works Cited “The Birth Order Effect.” Psychologies March 2014: 1+. Web. “Children’s health. » Order of birth. Encyclopedia of Children's Health, nd Web. March 16, 2014. “How Does Birth Order Affect Relationships?” » Women's Day. Np, and Web. Spring 2014. “Does Birth Order Make or Break a Relationship?” » CBSNews. CBS Interactive, February 23, 2011. Web. March 16. 2014.