BULLETIN NOTES – SEPTEMBER 17, 2000

Strength and Weaknesses of Middle Children
Typical Traits	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grew up feeling squeezed and rootless	Learned not to be spoiled	May be rebellious because they don’t feel they fit in
Reasonable Expectations	Because life hasn’t always been fair, they are unspoiled, realistic	Being treated unfairly may have made them suspicious, cynical, even bitter
Social Lion	Relationships are very important; they make friends and tend to keep them	Friends can be too important and not offending them may cloud judgment on key decisions
Independent Thinker	Willing to do things differently, take a risk, strike out on their own	May appear to be bullheaded, stubborn, unwilling to cooperate
Compromising	Know how to get along with others; can be skilled at mediating disputes or negotiating disagreements	Can be seen as willing to peace at any price; others may try to take advantage of them
Diplomatic	Peacemakers; willing to work thins out; great at seeing issues from both sides	May hate confrontation; often choose not to share their real opinions and feelings
Secretive	Can be trusted with sensitive information; know how to keep secrets	May fail to admit it when they need help – it’s just too embarrassing