Main idea: Forer's theory no longer makes perfect sense in the current society where families only have two or less child, therefore environment is an important factor that influences life adjustment.
Unlike the old days, families tend to have two or maybe less children as their family member. In Korea, it is known that about 30% of elementary students are only child in the family. Also, only around 10% percent of the families have three or more kids among who has child younger than 10 years old as their family member. Thus, children these days grow differently than they did decades ago. Rather than to interact and learn from their siblings, they do it with peers and adults. They spend lots of time going to school and academies, resulting in less time with the siblings. Furthermore, a certain trend that older children should take care of younger ones does not exist anymore. Older siblings do not have to worry about how to care their younger siblings like they did before. In my case, I have a younger brother who is seven years younger than me. I never felt I should do things to him. We do not follow Forer's theory at all, so he is mature in many ways even more than me. Therefore, Forer's theory that birth order influences life adjustment does not fit recent trends. Rather, I believe the environment is what truly affects life adjustment.
HI, I'm Kim taekmin.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you perceive the difference between Forer's traditional thoughts on families and the current situation of low birth rates.