Birth Order and Juvenile Delinquency

Paper Summary:

This paper examines whether the sociobiological approach of a person's personality holds true in the field of juvenile crime. Specifically, the paper evaluates whether birth order is a significant determinant in whether or not a young person commits crimes and in the rates of juvenile recidivism. It takes interdisciplinary approach to the issue of birth order and juvenile delinquency, drawing on diverse literature from fields including psychology, law, criminology and sociology. The extent of birth order on youth crime is explored through a critical survey and integration of current research on the various determinants of juvenile delinquency.

Outline
Birth Order and Social Behavior
Effects of Birth Order on Criminal Behavior
A Critique of Birth Order Theory
Other Predictors of Criminal Behavior
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Sulloway maintains that the effects of birth order do not stem merely from biology. Rather, he ascribes this to children's innate tendency to develop attitudes and personalities that are best suited for maximizing the resources that they get from their parents. Since siblings must compete for their parents' attentions, they carve out their own "family niches" relative to their brothers and sisters, a niche that is often defined by birth order (Sulloway 1996: 48). Meri Wallace, a child development expert, locates the social construction of birth order roles on the part of the parents. According to Wallace, many of the characteristics resulting from a child's birth order and family position actually stem from their early relationship with their parents."

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