My Relationship Theory

I'm developing this theory about romantic relationships and how they relate to the order in which a child is born in relation to his or her other siblings. If a person is an only child, they receive an unlimited amount of attention from their parents and therefore do not require as much attention from their mate. If a child is the oldest, they probably received quite a bit of attention from their parents when they were younger but, once the second child was born, they struggled for attention and were deprived of affection. The middle child has a similar experience to that of the oldest child but receives even less attention than the oldest or the youngest because the oldest craves attention and the youngest still requires nuturing. The youngest child needs the least amount of attention and affection from his or her mate because they were constantly the center of attention for one reason or another; either because of acting out when the older siblings fought for recognition or simply because they were seen as the only one that required that level of care.

In romantic adult relationships, the oldest child--having lacked adequate affection for so long--seeks attention and physical contact from his or her mate more so than his or her younger siblings. The middle child, also feeling attention deprived for many years, also yearns for physical attention and more affection than the youngest child. Finally, the youngest child or the only child, having been held, coddled and "babied" their entire lives can appear cold, distant, or selfish to a partner who is either the oldest or the middle child because they resist the excessive affection and attention of their childhood.

Ideally, we should seek someone who is our equal in sibling position in order to obtain the level of attention and affection we feel we need in a relationship.

Please feel free to offer your own opinion or observation.