BIRTH ORDER, ANXIETY, AND AFFILIATION DURING A CRISIS

THE POWER FAILURE IN NEW YORK CITY ON NOVEMBER 9-10, 1965, PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO TEST THE UTILITY AND GENERALITY OF LABORATORY DERIVED NOTIONS CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP OF BIRTH ORDER TO ANXIETY AND AFFILIATION DURING A CRISIS. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT 1ST-BORNS WOULD BE MORE ANXIOUS AND AFFILIATIVE THAN LATER BORNS WHILE STRANDED IN THIS SITUATION. RESULTS SUPPORT THE ANXIETY HYPOTHESIS; THE AFFILIATION HYPOTHESIS RECEIVED SOME CONFIRMATION AMONG WOMEN. A FURTHER HYPOTHESIS, THAT LOWER ANXIETY WOULD BE REPORTED WHEN AFFILIATIVE BEHAVIOR WAS CONGRUENT WITH THE BIRTH ORDER THEORY OF AFFILIATIVE CHOICE, WAS ALSO SUPPORTED. BIRTH ORDER RELATIONSHIPS WERE COMPLICATED BY SEX DIFFERENCES. (26 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).