THESIS PRESENTATION BY:

SYEDA KHADIJA FATIMA

EFFECT OF BIRTH ORDER ON MARITAL

ADJUSTMENT

AGENDA

•Abstract

•Introduction

•Method

•Results

•Discussion

•Conclusion

•Recommendations

•References

ABSTRACT

• The effect of marital adjustment `on birth order was studied.

• Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale was administered to a sample of 64 married couples.

• Participants were divided into two groups, 32 with same birth order and 32 for opposite birth order.

• T-test was used for the statistical analysis of data.

• Significant result indicates that couples with opposite birth order have greater marital adjustability as compare to same birth order.

Marital Adjustment

• Defined as: A dynamic process, and marital satisfaction is listed as one of the

outcomes of the adjustment process.

• Marital adjustment can also be defined as a dynamic process and yet be measured

as a state at a given point in time, dynamic change involves, such as negotiation between the spouses.

By

Spanier

Birth Order

• Birth order is the chronological order of sibling births in a family

By

Adler

Literature Review

EFFECT OF B

IRTH O

RDER AT MARITAL

ADJUSTMENT:

The duplication theorem states that opposites attract. This means that if you're a firstborn, your best match will be a lastborn given by Walter Toman, it has been tested in clinical studies.

William Cane has tested these birth order theories on over 6,000 celebrities, couples, and individuals. The duplication theorem has validity, he found.

•For example, two last-borns could be expected to experience conflict over whose to be considered the baby of the relationship. The notion of rank conflict was first formulated by Walter Toman

Researchers have found, that people with many younger siblings are often quite compatible with people who have numerous older siblings. One study found that a lack of rank conflict leads to the most harmonious relationships by Leonard Weller et al, (1974)

It is observed that sometimes two first-borns or two lastborns have an exceptionally pleasing bonding, which is called the narcissistic relationship:

they love and care for each other for the reason that they are so similar. Such kind of relationship is considered to some extent less mature than

relationships among partners with heterogeneous birth orders.

First-born and later-born combination was characterized at high marital adjustment where as first-born-first-born couple was at low marital adjustment found by Hazi, (1974).

Another research indicated that the ideal romantic partnership was of oldest and a youngest, suggests by Renee M. Schilling, (2001).

Researches

METHOD AND PROCEDURE

PARTICIPANTS:

Sample of 64 participants.

With minimum 3 years and maximum 15, from middle class socio-economic status, without any diagnosis of infertility.

Sample was split in two groups i.e. same (homogenous) birth order couples and opposite (heterogeneous) birth order couples.

MEASURE:

DEMOGRAPHIC SHEET• Number of siblings• Birth order• Number of children• Years of marriage • Occupation • Income• Education • Family system (i.e. nuclear or combine)• Arranged marriage OR Love-come

arranged marriage OR Love marriage.

Spanier Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale:

• It is a 14 item questionnaire. Self inventory test used widely across world.

• It has three subscales that are as follows:• Consensus• Satisfaction• Cohesion

CONSENSUS

•Includes decision making, values and affection

SATISFACTION

•Includes stability and conflict.

COHESION

•Includes activities and discussion.

•p-value = 0.019.• Mean for opposite birth order is 98.4 and for same birth order is 89.6•Standard deviation of 15.3 for opposite and 18.1 for same birth order.•Significant difference noticed between two groups.

GRAPH

DISCUSSION

• This hypothesis was formulated keeping the birth order theory along with the theory of Toman, (1976) and Leman, (1998) both the theorists believe that the opposite birth order of husband and wife leads to more healthy relationship in order to avoid rank conflict and to embrace the earned birth order in the family of in-laws.

• The opposite earned birth order is the one for which an individual strives

throughout the sib ship. This means that by observing the overly achieved first-born, last-born would more likely to be associated with his/her older sibling in

order to encash the deprived trait of him/her.

Therefore in couples of opposite birth order, both partners will be able to associate and share their weak and strong traits

with each other that would result in solution of rank conflict.

CONCLUSION

I t is concluded that there is an effect of b i r th

order on mar i ta l ad justabi l i ty. I t is noted

that hypothesis was stat is t ica l ly s igni f icant

and i t can be safe ly concluded that couples of opposi te b i r th order

have h igh mar i ta l ad justabi l i ty as

compared to couples of same bi r th order.

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

• Busby, D. M., Christensen, C., Crane, D. R, Larson, J. H. (1995). A Revision of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale for use with Distressed and Nondistressed Couples: Construct Hierarchy and Multidimensional Scale. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy [On-line Serial], Retrieved May 9, 2011, Available: http://russcrane.byu.edu/Assets/MarriageResearch/1995_Revision_of_the_DAS.pdf

• http://what-when-how.com/sociology/marital-adjustment/

• http://www.healthofchildren.com/B/Birth-Order.html

• Schilling, R. M. The Effects of Birth Order on Interpersonal Relationships. Retrieved June 20, 2011, Available: http://faculty.mckendree.edu/scholars/2001/schilling.htm

• Cane, W. (2008). The Birth Order of Love: How the #1 Personality Predictor Can Help You Find “the One”. New Jersey: Da Capo Press

• Weller, L., Natan O. & Hazi O. (1974). Birth Order and Marital Bliss in Israel. Journal of Marriage and Family. [On-line Serial]. Retrieved June 21, 2011, Available: http://www.jstor.org/pss/350362

THANKS FOR YOUR ENDURANCE