Changes In Sibling Relationship Across Time

Families can be referred to as complex units linked by strong emotional bonding. The way the family members interact and the way the whole family group relate is known as family dynamics. The dynamics among the family members are influenced by the family’s traditions, emotional interdependence, communication style and behavioral patterns. There are different types of families, and different family structures. Examples of families include, nuclear families which have, a father, mother and children and extended family which have the nuclear family, and other family members living together, for

What is the definition of attachment? If you look it up in a dictionary it explains that it is ‘an emotional bond between an infant or toddler and primary caregiver, a strong bond being vital for the child’s normal behavioural and social development’. That strong bond between infant and caregiver is believed to happen between the ages of 6-8 months although Bowlby (1958) suggests that the infants are born into this world pre-programmed to form attachments, they have innate behaviours in the way of crying, smiling, crawling and cooing which will stimulate attention and comforting responses from the caregivers. These behaviours are called social releasers. Kagan et al (1978)

So, in talking about attachment bonds, how are attachments developed in the first place? Starting from birth, infants are essentially unattached emotionally to any significant figure and show no social discriminatory responses to anyone specific. As the baby grows and develops, they will enter the second phase in which they can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces, voices, and smells. At this point, they are not completely attached to any one individual, despite their

The family composition comprises of a basic family structure including the father, mother, brother, and sister within the household. An example would be my mother, Ernaline Pabatao who was 13 years old in high school, and her siblings were in elementary including Bernadito who was 11 years old, Caroline who was 9 years old, and Ernest who was 7 years old. Her parents, Bernadita was 23 years old and Ernesto was 33 years old at the time. They had eloped when Bernadita was 18 years old and was not able to finish her college studies because Ernesto prevented her to achieve her academic ambitions.

Many factors can affect the effectiveness of relational maintenance within sibling relationships, such as effort to maintain relationships, age of siblings, and how related they are among other things. In romantic relationships, individuals may experience a higher level of satisfaction within a relationship if their partners’ use of relational maintenance tactics compares favorably to their own (Dainton, 2000). It is possible for this to also be the case for adult sibling relationships since these would be life-long relationships that one would be born into instead of relationships one would form by choice and at any point of their lives. However, those involved in romantic relationships may not experience a greater level of relational satisfaction from relational maintenance the longer there are involved in a relationship. Whether or not this is also the case for adult siblings is an interesting question as there are a variety of factors that can positively or negatively affect their relationships over the course of time. These would include involvement with each other’s families, geographic distance, and continued involvement with parents among other factors. The current amount of relational satisfaction between adult siblings can be compared to that of when they were children; and can also be compared between adult siblings at different stages of their adult life.

Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

The way in which the ‘family’ unit is perceived has changed immensely since the last quarter of the twentieth century. Over time, many factors have contributed to these changes including, and not limited to, the industrial revolution, the feminist movement, the period of modernity and technological advancements. As a result, these factors have influenced significant changes to the ‘family’, these include; the increasing rates of female occupation, mean age at marriage, divorce, unmarried couples, single parents, mean age at birth of first child, and a decline in marriage rates. Moreover, this essay will examine how the family has changed over time through discussing the factors that have contributed to these changes. It is for these reasons and observations made by sociologists that it could be inferred that the way the family unit is perceived has changed greatly over time.

Birth order is addressed as the arrangement of births of children in a family. The four most common positions used in the Birth Order Theory of Alfred Adler are: only child, first born, middle child and last born. Adler associated those birth order positions with different characteristics for each. He also explained that with every child that will be added to the family there will be an effect for each family member in terms of communication, tasks and duties. (Craighead 2001)

Attachment relationships develop gradually from the time of birth and for the first 2 years of the infant’s life.

The mother is usually the first and primary object of attachment for an infant, but in many cultures, babies become just as attached to their fathers, siblings, and grandparents. When infants are attached to their caregivers, they gain a secure base from which babies can explore their environment and a haven of safety to return to when they are afraid. Attachment begins with physical touching and cuddling between infant and parent. Some babies become secure or insecure attached. Normal, healthy attachment will happen within a wide range of cultural, family, and individual variations in child-rearing customs. Studies of Strange Situation have distinguished secure from insecure attachment. Insecurity can take one of two forms: avoidant and anxious-ambivalent attachment.

By definition, “attachment is the emotional bond between an infant and the primary caregiver (Romero; Perry).” During the first eight months of life, an infant will typically form an emotional attachment to a caregiver. The kind of attachment is based on the nurture and care the infant receives. The type of attachment between an infant and a caregiver can help determine the child’s personality and development (Romero).

According to the article “7 Ways Your Siblings May Have Shaped You” written by Lindsay Lyon, siblings: buffer stress, provide good practice, help raise our vulnerability to mental-health issues, raise the chance of bad behavior, inspire us to be different, increase romantic jealousy, and impact a person’s love life. Siblings play a vital role in the way a person will act and carry themself in their day to day life. 80% of children today grow up with a brother, sister, or both. Something that is interesting to me is that children are more likely to grow up with a sibling than to grow up with a father.

Attachments are formed in the very earliest months and years of life. These have a significant influence on emotional development as well as providing a template for the child as he or she grows into adulthood.

Aside from disturbed family relationships and lack of spousal sexual activity as common preceding factors, there are innate psychological reasons why people engage themselves in incest relationships. Westermarck in 1891, suggested that men do not mate with their mothers and sisters not because of social rules, but because they are simply not turned on by those they were reared with. Westermarck's idea was simple. Men and women cannot recognize their relatives as relatives, so they have no way of preventing inbreeding as such. They can use a simple psychological rule that works ninety-nine times out of a hundred to avert an incestuous relationship. They can avoid mating with those whom they know well during childhood. Sexual aversion to one's closest relatives is thus achieved.

The family unit across the globe is valued by almost all cultures as the most important social structure in which humans form the tightest bonds. Now significant evidence to suggest that within the family structure the relationship and interaction between siblings is the most impactful relationship of a human’s lifetime. Researchers have only recently become interested in the unique relationship between siblings. Siblings have been found to advance one another’s social, emotional, and cognitive development (Mcguire and Shanahan, 2010). Researchers are now are posing the question, “Are our relationships with our siblings the most important of all?”