In his birth order theory, Alfred Adler analyzes how a child’s birth position influences their personality and important eventual decisions they make in life. As the youngest child in Sigmund Freud’s family, Anna exhibited varied characteristics identified in Adler’s theory. Analysis of the theory in light of Anna’s career and contribution to psychology reveals how her choices merged well with Adler’s propositions.
Adler identifies that the youngest child, despite being viewed as loved by their parents more than the rest, do not get as much attention from the parents and the rest of society as compared to the rest of the siblings ( Coan et al., 2018) . They will often compare themselves to the firstborn and try to achieve as much as the older siblings to ensure they cement their place in their families and society. Being overshadowed by the firstborn and other siblings in the family exerts immense pressure on the youngest child and he or she will do all they can to stand out so that they gain the attention they need ( Coan et al., 2018) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
It was no different for Anna; her career choice and immense contributions to psychology were fueled by her desire to stand out from the rest of her family while emulating the individual she felt she needed to compare to, her father. Looking at the rest of her siblings, none made the contributions she did or opted for the filed of psychology. Anna needed an area of specialization where she could stand out and gain the attention she wanted from her parents and from society.
Since she followed her father’s career pathway, it is highly likely that Freud directed much of his attention to Anna due to the interest and potential she emulated for the field of psychology. When looking at literature, one can recognize that none of the Freud children are as famous or have advanced careers in any given fields apart from Anna.
To a great extent, Adler’s propositions on the youngest child in his birth order theory were demonstrated in Anna’s career choice and contribution to psychology. She eventually stood out from the rest of her siblings and gained the attention every youngest child is often looking for as stipulated by Adler.
Reference
Coan, A., Garia, K. D., & Sabuncu, P. (2018). Birth order theory and habit formation: A literature review. Образование личности , (3), 37-45.
