Adlerian vocational theory proposes that birth order, or psychological position in the family of origin, significantly influences vocational behavior. If so, appraising birth order position may be useful in a career assessment context to enrich an understanding of an individual's occupational interests, values, and vocational personality style. Two exploratory studies examined this potentiality. In Study 1, analysis of variance results indicated significant differences in vocational personality type, occupational interests, and values among three birth-order groups derived from a medical student sample (N = 159). Significant differences in occupational interests among birth-order groups also emerged in Study 2 which used a college student sample (N = 119). Combined, results of the present research lend support to the Adlerian theoretical assertion that birth order determines vocational personality, occupational interest, and values patterns. Birth order represents a salient and viable variable to consider in career assessment and counseling contexts as well as to examine in future research.
Ansbacher, H.L., & Ansbacher, R.R. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler. New York: Harper and Row.
2.
Borgen, F.H. (1988). Review of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory . In J. T. Kapes & M. M. Mastie (Eds.), A counselor's guide to career assessment instruments (2nd ed., pp. 123-126). Alexandria, VA: National Career Development Association .
3.
Campbell, D., & Hansen, J.C. (1981). Manual for the SVIB-SCII. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
4.
Claudy, J.G. (1984). The only child as a young adult: Results from project talent. In T. Falbo (Ed.) The single child family (pp. 211-252). New York: Guilford.
5.
Cobb, S., & French, J.R.P. (1966). Birth order among medical students. Journal of the American Medical Association, 195, 172-173.
Helson, R., & Crutchfield, R.S. (1970). Mathematicians: The creative researcher and the average PhD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 34, 250-257.
8.
Herr, E.L., & Lear, P.B. (1984). The family as an influence on career development . Family Therapy Collections, 10, 1-15.
9.
Holland, J.L. (1985). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (Second edition). Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall.
MacGregor, A., & Cochran, L. (1988). Work as enactment of family drama. Career Development Quarterly, 37, 138-148.
12.
Nevill, D.D., & Super, D.E. (1986). The Values Scale: Theory, application, and research (Research ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
13.
Niles, S.G., & Goodnough, G.E. (1996). Life-role salience and values: A review of recent research. Career Development Quarterly , 45, 65-86.
14.
Roe, A.A. (1953). Psychological study of eminent psychologists and anthropologists and a comparison with biological and physical scientists. Psychologist Monographs, 67 (2, Whole No. 352).
15.
Savickas, M.L. (1988). An Adlerian view of the Publican's pilgrimage . Career Development Quarterly, 36, 211-217.
16.
Savickas, M.L. (1989). Career style assessment and counseling. In T. Sweeney (Ed.), Adlerian counseling: A practical approach for a new decade (3rd ed., pp. 289-320). Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development Press.
17.
Savickas, M.L. (1995a). Examining the personal meaning of inventoried interests during career counseling. Journal of Career Assessment , 3, 188-201.
18.
Savickas, M.L. (1995b). Constructivist counseling for career indecision . Career Development Quarterly, 4, 363-373.
19.
Schulenberg, J.E., Vondracek, F.W., & Crouter, A.C. (1984). The influence of the family on vocational development . Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 129-143.
20.
Spokane, A.R. (1996). Holland's theory. In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.) Career choice and development: Applying contemporary theories to practice (3rd ed., pp. 33-74). San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
Super, D.E., Osborne, W.L., Walsh, D.J., Brown, S.D., & Niles, S.G. (1992). Developmental career assessment and counseling: The C-DAC model. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 74-80.
23.
Super D.E., Savickas, M.L., & Super, C.M. (1996). The life-span, life-space approach to careers . In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.) Career choice and development: Applying contemporary theories to practice (3rd ed., pp. 121-178). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
24.
Very, P.S., & Prull, R.W. (1970). Birth order, personality development, and the choice of law as a profession. Journal of Genetic Psychology , 116, 219-221.
25.
Very, P.S., & Zannini, J.A. (1969). Relation between birth order and being a beautician . Journal of Applied Psychology, 53, 149-151.
26.
Visher, S.S. (1947). American men of science (p. 537). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
27.
Watkins, C.E., Jr. (1984). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: Toward an Adlerian vocational theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 24, 28-47.
28.
Watkins, C.E., Jr. , & Savickas, M.L. (1990). Psychodynamic career counseling. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling: Contemporary topics in vocational psychology (pp. 79-116). Hillsdale, NJ : Erlbaum.
29.
Watts, R.E., & Engels, D.W. (1995). The life task of vocation: A review of Adlerian research literature. TCA Journal, 23, 9-20.
30.
West, S.S. (1960). Sibling configurations of scientists. American Journal of Sociology, 66, 268-274.
31.
White, J., Campbell, L., Stewart, A., Davies, M., et al. (1997). The relationship of psychological birth order to career interests. Individual Psychology: Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research & Practice, 53, 89-104.
