CCCA3 Lesson01

Can birth order affect your personality?

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
 relate birth order to personalities
 refer to a video for specific information and details
 recognize and employ personality adjectives
 reinvest the target language in speaking/writing

A) Look at the list of adjectives below. Those adjectives describe personality. Divide them into positive
or negative personality characteristics. Which of the adjectives can you use to describe yourself?

responsible; nervous; conscientious; conservative; dominant; experienced; dependent; outgoing;

ambitious; strong; irresponsible; demanding; motivated; independent; sociable; honest; self-
centred; diligent; power-orientated; open; predisposed (towards leadership); frivolous; selfish

Positive characteristics Negative characteristics

B) How are personalities of family members different? Do you think that the role in the family
influences people’s personalities?

C) What personality characteristics do you associate with the different birth order of children in a
family: the first born, the middle born, the last born, or the only child?

First child Middle child Youngest child Only child

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Listening comprehension

Key words

1. Read the sentences (1-6). The words in bold are used in the video. First guess the meaning of
the words. Then match the words with their definitions (a-f).

1. Some scientists believe that the order in which we were born to a family affects our personality.
2. For the middle children the pace of development is higher.
3. Only children are often pampered by their parents
4. Studies have a number of inaccuracies.
5. Research doesn't take into account important social factors such as ethnicity, education, and
relationships within a family.
6. The upbringing that children receive in their homes is a much more important factor in shaping
their lives as individuals.

a) the way people are treated or educated when they are young
b) giving someone special treatment, giving someone everything the person wants
c) the speed with which something moves
d) has an influence on something or someone
e) to consider something
f) a situation in which something is not completely correct

2. Watch the video “How birth order can shape your personality?” and categorize the adjectives
from the list above into three groups: personality characteristics of the oldest child, a middle child, the
youngest child, an only child. Do you think the description is true for you? Why or why not?

the oldest child the middle child the youngest child an only child

3. Watch the video and say if the statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
1. There is a stereotype that the oldest child in the family tends to be very irresponsible.
2. The Birth Order Theory was developed by Alfred Adler, Sigmund Freud’s colleague.
3. According to Adler, the oldest child tends to be sociable and dependent
4. Oldest children often take responsibility for the younger siblings, so they are likely to take initiative
when they grow up.
5. Middle children often struggle to surpass their parents.
6. Middle children are more likely to set unreasonably high goals to themselves.
7. As a rule the youngest child gets little care and attention from parents and even older siblings.
8. Only children are pampered by their parents.
9. Only children are often independent and people-centred.

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10. The only child often has difficulty interacting with other children. Many children who have no
siblings become perfectionists, and they usually achieve their goals no matter what.

Personality adjectives

1. Replace the words in bold with a synonym from the box:

aloof – confident – determined – opinionated – reliable – stubborn – unpredictable

1. Jen is quite stand-offish. She’s never friendly : => aloof

2. You can confide in Jake. He’s very trustworthy. ________________
3. It’s not worth discussing anything with Helen- She’s so dogmatic. ________________
4. Simon studies a lot, so he is very self-assured when speaking out in class. _____________
5. Mr. Smith is capricious. He accepted Anna’s excuse, but rejected the same one
from Alan. ________________
6. Pattie is very resolute. She applied for the scholarship again after being rejected.
________________
7. Peter can be uncompromising. He refused to change his plan although there’s
an easier option. ________________

2. Match the adjectives (1-11) with their synonyms (A-K). Decide if each pair is positive or
negative and write them in the chart.

1. angry A. rational
Positive Negative
2. calm B. shy
angry – furious
3. vain C. obstinate

4. intelligent D. conceited

5. timid E. clever

6. selfish F. furious

7. impolite G. egotistical

8. irritable H. amiable

9. sensible I. grumpy

10. stubborn J. easy-going

11. friendly K. rude

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3. Complete the blog profiles with words from the box:

charismatic – conceited – considerate – down to earth – happy-go-lucky

– pretentious – quick-witted – spontaneous

Karina George:
I enjoy doing things without a lot of planning, so I think I’m a 1-______________person. My
friends also think I’m 2-________________because I don’t worry about the future. I know things
will be fine even if they are not going well at the moment. I value friends who are
3- ____________since it’s important to be sensible and realistic in life. I don’t have time for
4-____________people- I can tell if someone is trying to impress me by appearing important or by
wearing expensive clothing or jewellery.
Desmond Fenty:
If more people thought about others, there would be fewer problems in the world. So I think
being 5-_____________is one of the most important things in life. My favourite quality about my
character is that I’m 6-_______________. I’m fairly intelligent, and I can see the funny side
of things easily. At least my friends have told me as much, and that’s a great compliment. I
also think I’m quite 7-__________because people seem to like me and I make friends easily.
Actually, I’ve been called 8-______________but I don’t believe this is true because I’ve never
thought I’m better than anyone else.

 More adjectives that can be used to describe aspects of someone's personality based on big five traits.

Sample Personality Adjectives

Positive Adjectives Negative Adjectives

Personality Trait

outgoing, talkative, social, friendly, lively, shy, reserved, quiet, timid, antisocial,
Extroversion active, fun withdrawn

open-minded, receptive, nonjudgmental, narrow-minded, rigid, stubborn, judgmental,

Openness flexible, curious discriminating

hardworking, punctual, thoughtful, organized, lazy, flaky, careless, reckless, irresponsible,

Conscientiousness careful, cautious, obedient, responsible negligent, rash

patient, optimistic, easygoing, calm, self- impatient, pessimistic, brooding, anxious,

Neuroticism assured, stable, reasonable sensitive, moody, insecure

good-natured, forgiving, amenable, genial, disagreeable, ill-tempered, irritable, rude,

Agreeableness consenting, generous, cheerful, cooperative spiteful, bitter, uncooperative

4. Now, it’s your turn! Try to make your own personal profile!