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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1983)
a Have you ever had your hand writing analyzed at the State Fair? Are you not finished read ing the newspaper until you've read your horoscope? Have you ever had your palm read? Divination, or "the paractice that seeks to forsee or fortell fu ture events or discover hidden knowledge," is cussed by some and discussed by others. Is there any truth behind the practice? What do experts say about it? Do you believe? Colors affect ideas / emotion by Angel Stokes BitUlion Stiff by Stephanie Marshall and Holly Powell Bifti/jon reporters To a surprising extent, your birth order influences your per sonality, behavior and relation ships with family and friends. According to studies, birth order may even influence which career suits you best. Whether you are an oldest, middle, youngest or an only child has a factor in how you act toward people and how they act toward you. Your personality and be havior are determined not only by birth order, but also by hered ity and the environment in which you are brought up. De spite these differing outside in fluences, people who share the same birth order often are similar. Hazel Markus in Psychology Today magazine says birth order is the oldest issue studied in sibling research. In one area of sibling research, results are con sistent: the later a child is bom into a family, the lower his scores on standardized intelli- ence tests, compared to his rothers and sisters. Because of the stability of these findings, researchers are looking at the connection be tween birth order and other traits and behaviors, including self-esteem, conformity and popularity. The first-bom children often are high achievers. For example, of the original 23 astronauts in the U.S. space program, 21 were oldest or only children. Researchers have found that first-borns have many advan tages over their younger sibl ings. According to Markus, first duldren tend to perform better academically, are more likely to go to college, tend to be more responsible and prefer being leaders instead of followers. In an interview with Made moiselle in 1983, Dr. Robert L. Powers, president of the Amer- ican Institute of Adlerian Stu dies in Chicago, and Dr. Brad ford Wilson, a clinical psycho logist, say the oldest child is bet ter able to follow directions rather than arriving at original solutions. Only children tend to be more self-assured, good at following directions, tidy, well-organized, conscientious and are perfec tionists. But in the social scene, only children have shown not to be as outgoing because they didn't have any siblings with which to interact. Wilson says the middle child often feels squeezed out and may have the roughest time of all the children. Often times, the middle children are conformists to feel as if they are a part of ^something. "Middles," he says, "don't like to make waves." Because the middle bom are sometimes insecure, Wilson says, they often are the most sensitive and their feelings fre quently are hurt. Middle children often are popular among their peers be cause they are trying to find a place to oelong, he says. But they also are creative children. "The youngest are mercurial, ambitious and the most innova tive of any of the birth orders," the Mademoiselle article states. The lives of youngest chil dren generally are dominated by their siblings; therefore, they often are show-offs and char mers. The article says the siblings of the youngest may be unsure ab out their feelings toward the youngest and alternately "cher ish and dislike him or protect him and tease him." As a result, he grows up alternating be tween overconfidence ana dis couragement. But the youngest children often have success in life and have an instinct for what is fair, Wilson says. Psychologists Carol Nagy Jacklin and Elenore Maccoby observed the interaction be tween mothers and infants in their own homes. Their study discovered that mothers of first- bom children are more likely to tell the infants what not to do, while mothers of the latter bom offer more warmth and praise. Markus says the success of the first-bom child can be ex plained first by noting differ ences in interaction among old est children and their parents as compared to parental interac tion with later boms. Mothers of firstborns are likely to require more mature behavior, and be more over-protective, of their older children than their youn ger ones. Markus says mothers may be come more at ease about their parenting skills as brothers and sisters are bom into the family, and may find it easier to allow later-born children greater freedom. Sex and the age gap between the siblings also have been shown to modify the effects of birth order. According to the February 1983 issue of Mademoiselle, "A child who is a daughter learns different lessons about life than one who's a son, since in many families, males have special pri vileges, even as children." The age gap between siblings is significant if, for example, you had a sibling that was in his teens when you were bom and had a sibling that was two years younger, it is probable that you, and not the oldest child, would take on the role of the surrogate parent. This would be a factor in your personality and behavioral growth. Perhaps understanding what effects birth order can have on your personality and behavior will help you better understand yourself and others. That know ledge could some day help you understand and solve any prob lems that arise in your relation ships...if they develop. Ever wonder why fast food restaurants use bright colors — red and yellow — or why wait ing rooms are green? Because each color of the spectrum radi ates a specific wavelength of energy, certain colors affect peo ple in different ways. Experiments have shown that red lights raise blood pressure and increas excitement and ten sion, while blue lights lower blood pressure, decrease anxie ty and induce relaxation. Colors have represented ideas, emotions and social standing for centuries. Purple is the color of royalty, white repre sents virginity and innocence and black represents death or evil. Pink is the favorite color for baby girls and blue for boys. But the effects of color go beyond what is pleasing to the eye. Colors also nave psycholo gical affects on individuals. RED stands for physical strength, courage and sacrifice. Because of its stimulating effect, red can increase the appetite, but also can cause insomnia if used in a bedroom. BLUE is a significant color be cause of its soothing effect. While blue is good for nervous conditions, it will only make a depressed person more de pressed. It also gives a feeling of expansion, so it would be good for small rooms. YELLOW awakens mental faculties and conquers negativ ity and nervousness. It also sti mulates the digestive process. This is a good color for a study or kitchen — anywhere you want a joyous environment — but it's too restless for a bedroom. ORANGE is considered a ba lance color because it's a com bination of red and yellow. Orange is considered a soul col or by yogis. Orange is an excel lent color for family rooms and other gathering places because it brings tolerance, understanding and peace. GREEN is the color of nature and promotes a general feeling of well-being, harmony and serenity. Green reduces stress, because it's a combination of happy yellow and tranquil blue. Waiting rooms often are painted in greens because people tend to underestimate the passage of time in a green room. VIOLET is a spiritual and in tuitive color — on that relaxes and soothes the nerves and muscles controlling the heart. It should be used in places where intropection is need; not good for a room used for socializing. PINK is a paler shade of red, though it affects the mind more than the body. It is not a color for nervous people or light sleepers because it excites passions. However, pink is the color of love, and it spreads a strong healing influence. Key to birth days If you're looking for ways to "reveal" your personality, why not start at the begin ning? The day you were bom may provide you with a likely, or even humorous, key to your character. Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living, And the child that is bom on the Sabbath day Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay. — Author Unknown ske But it, hav i ing cha obs ure atu Ae; nec . Fre tha C Bi biolo peop can i sevei Rich; of h A&N A theoi biolc birth throi S« exist most are l tiona T1 phyj tiona cycle to pi low i j—f -