INFLUENCE OF HYPERCOMPETITIVENESS AND BIRTH ORDER ON INTERPERSONAL RELATION

ABSTRACT

This research was conducted to investigate the influence of hypercompetitiveness and birth order on interpersonal relation. Hypotheses were generated from Karen Horney and Alfred Adler s’ theories about hypercompetitveness and birth order respectively. Birth order was defined in terms of three groups only: first, middle and last borns. Participants (N= 300) students sampled from Yaba College of Technology and University of Lagos. The instruments that were used are Hypercompetitive attitude scale by Ryckman, Hammer, Kaczor & Gold (1990) and Index of peer relation by Hudson, Nuris, Daley & Newsome, (1986).A cross sectional survey was used in collecting data using randomization and accidental sampling technique. Hypercompetitiveness has a significant negative correlation with interpersonal relation (r=-0.215*, at p,