Born to Rebel; Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives

Sulloway, Frank J.

ISBN 10: 0679442324 / ISBN 13: 9780679442325

Edité par Pantheon, New York, 1996

A propos de cet article

xviii, 653, [1] pages. Inscribed by the author on the fep--To John and Suzie, in deep appreciation for your friendship over the years and for John's invaluable intellectual assistance in bringing Born to Rebel to fruition. Frank, October 1996. Includes Introduction; Birth Order and Revolutionary Personality; as well as All in the Family; Social and Political Thought; Synthesis; and 11 appendices. Also includes List of Illustrations; List of Figures; List of Tables; Acknowledgments, Notes, Bibliography, and Index. Born to Rebel is a path-breaking study, a solid confirmation of the belief that a scientific, empirical basis exists for our understanding of human behavior. Born to Rebel's pathbreaking insights promise to revolutionize the nature of psychological, sociological, and historical inquiry. Frank Jones Sulloway (born February 2, 1947) is an American psychologist. Sulloway studied at Harvard College and later earned a Ph.D. in the history of science at Harvard. He is best known for his claim that birth order exerts large effects on personality, and the subsequent debates about this issue. In his 1996 book Born to Rebel, Frank Sulloway suggested that birth order had powerful effects on the Big Five personality traits. He argued that firstborns were much more conscientious and socially dominant, less agreeable, and less open to new ideas compared to laterborns. A landmark work that illuminates the crucial influence of birth order on personality and the far-reaching consequences of sibling competition--not only within individual families but on society as a whole. At the heart of this pioneering inquiry is a fundamental insight into human behavior: that the personalities of first-born children differ from those of their younger siblings not because of cultural differences but because common human instincts play themselves out differently in the universal quest for parental favor. Frank Sulloway's most important finding--that eldest children support the status quo and youngest children rebel against it--provides the foundation for startling analyses of the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and Darwin's theory of evolution. Concerning first borns--Did you know that: First borns are more frequently defenders of the status quo, more accepting of parental or conventional values. In their support of authority they will use either brains or violence to resolve conflict. More first borns--Albert Einstein, Ivan Pavlov, Linus Pauling--are Nobel Laureates. First borns--like Stalin, Robespierre, and Carlos the Jackal--will not shy away from tactics of terrorism. Concerning later-borns--Did you know that: Most later-borns more frequently turn over convention and champion reform, revolution and upheaval. Later-borns have been the catalysts of change supporting free speech, free worship, civil rights and women's rights. They are the creators of revolutionary ideas--Voltaire, Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson-- were all later-borns. Those who pressed for the absolution of slavery--Frederick Douglass, John Brown and Harriet Tubman--were all later-borns. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated].

N° de réf. du vendeur 83021

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Born to Rebel; Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives
• Éditeur: Pantheon, New York
• Date de parution: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0679442324
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780679442325
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Illustrateur: Dave Cutler
• Édition: Edition originale
• État de l'article: Very good
• État de la jaquette: Very good
• Signé: Signé par l'auteur
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Innovation

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Why are individuals from the same family often no more similar in personality than those from different families? Why, within the same family, do some children conform to authority whereas others rebel? The family, it turns out, is not a "shared environment" but rather a set of niches that provide siblings with different outlooks.
At the heart of this pioneering inquiry into human development is a fundamental insight: that the personalities of siblings vary because they adopt different strategies in the universal quest for parental favor. Frank J. Sulloway's most important finding is that eldest children identify with parents and authority, and support the status quo, whereas younger children rebel against it. Drawing on the work of Darwin and the new sciences of evolutionary psychology, he transforms our understanding of personality development and its origins in family dynamics.
Most persuasively, Sulloway's findings offer conclusive evidence that the family, with its powerful interpersonal dynamics, is a cauldron for the great revolutionary advances that drive historical change. Through his analysis of revolutions in social and scientific thought, from the Reformation to Darwin's theory of natural selection, Sulloway demonstrates that the primary engine of history is located within families, not between them, as Marx believed.
This landmark work illuminates the crucial influence that family niches have on personality, and documents the profound consequences of sibling competition - not only on individual development within the family, but on society as a whole. Born to Rebel's pathbreaking insights promise to revolutionize the nature of psychological, sociological, and historical inquiry.

Présentation de l'éditeur

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

"An important and valuable study that will define research agendas for years to come. It is also hugely fun to read."
--Boston Globe

Why do people raised in the same families often differ more dramatically in personality than those from different families? What made Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, and Voltaire uniquely suited to challenge the conventional wisdom of their times? This pioneering inquiry into the significance of birth order answers both these questions with a conceptual boldness that has made critics compare it with the work of Freud and of Darwin himself.    

    

Frank J. Sulloway envisions families as ecosystems in which siblings compete for parental favor by occupying specialized niches.  Combing through thousands of biographies in politics, science, and religion, he demonstrates that firstborn children are more likely to identify with authority whereas their younger siblings are predisposed to rise against it. Family dynamics, Sulloway concludes, is a primary engine of historical change. Elegantly written, masterfully researched, Born to Rebel is a grand achievement that has galvanized historians and social scientists and will fascinate anyone who has ever pondered the enigma of human character.    

    

"Daring . . . a stunning achievement. "    

--The New York Times Book Review