The Importance of Sibling Relationships Later in Life as Displayed in ‘Rage against the Darkness: Episode 2: Bunny & Leona’

The Canadian short stories “Brother Dear” by Bernice Friesen and “The Charmer” written by Budge Wilson focus on the struggles and common conflicts between parents and their children during adolescence. Both stories are told in the younger sister’s point of view and show how everyone matures and gains independence throughout and at the end of the story. Friesen and Wilson’s short stories over all focus mainly on the theme of dysfunctional families; which can be represented through the characters, symbolism, and conflict in the stories.

Families, as units, are extremely complex and vary drastically from one another. A person might be under the impression that his or her own family is nothing special, especially if they are accustomed to their family’s routines. After analyzing my own family through the sociological lenses of an assortment of scholars, it is now clear that it is not as simple as it seems. Sociologically analyzing my family through the divorces that have occurred in my life makes it clear that divorce can have an impact on a variety of family dynamics, such as my parents and their jobs and domestic duties, the amount of involvement they have with their friends and family, as well as my financial dependence on my parents.

The ways in which a family communicates messages with each other plays a key role in shaping the lives of each individual family member. Humans have always belonged to and identified with their families even before they could speak or form any other social group. Family members not only rely on each other to be there for emotional and social support, but also shape how individuals identify themselves. Therefore, the quality of family relationships greatly impacts the quality of life for most people. (Koerner & Schrodt, 2014)

new role, and the connection that she had with her brother. Further along within the subsequent

What is the relationship between the quality of a marriage and the quality of the spouses’ relationships with their siblings?

The following investigation is designed to determine whether there is a relationship between the number of siblings and conformity levels. As the investigation was a quantitative observational design, participants naturally fell into the three pre-existing groups of family size, those of which ranged from no siblings to two siblings. The campaign score data was collected through a survey where

Now that I have offered analysis and reflection on the extended family field of my family system on a macro level, I want to provide a microscopic look as it relates to individuals and individual relationships within my family system. As previously mentioned my family tends to have a level of homeostasis that is comfortable with distance and long periods of not interacting. This does not mean we do not love each other; we are just comfortable loving at a distance. This is connected to one of our unspoken rules and expectations, which is do not feel bad if I do not call you or interact with you regularly. This unspoken

In other words, Gerstel and Sarkisian claim that a White family, a Black family, and a Latino/a family all within the same household income level and grade of education will exhibit similar “patterns of involvement with their extended families,” (64). The reason that many find families of a minority exhibit weaker relationships in contrast to families of the majority is simply because “Whites tend to have more income than Blacks and Latinos/as,” (65). The strength of a family’s relationships is dependent not on its race, ethnicity,

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.

In “Huck Finn, Dan Quayle, and the Value of Acceptance,” Richard Rodriguez explains his state of mind as he sits outside his parents’ house waiting to tell them that he is gay. As he sits there, he contemplates things such as what is described as family values. This contemplation leads to the consideration of what a family really is and how the members of a family affect one another. As a child growing up, one spends a large amount of time with one’s family specifically one’s siblings. There could be numerous benefits to knowing what effect siblings have on one another.

In the article “Family Ties: 6 Ways to Stay Close Through the Years and Across the Miles” by Beverly Dillard, it talks about different ways to connect to family member. In paragraph two, she stated “Family. God created it as a built-in support system.” She also said, “We all need that connection, that feeling of security and belonging.” Beverly gives idea on how to keep family circle tight because she thinks that today’s society has tried to diminish the importance of family

Genograms are used to graphically represent a family tree and display detailed data on relationships among the individuals included in the family tree. In essence, families are complex systems that interact with kin groups in specific ways, and a genogram helps to show a diagram of a family tree, but also maps out interactions, relationships, traits, and characteristics that may otherwise not be noticed. The purpose of a genogram is to identify and understand patterns in family history which may influence an individual’s personal behavior and traits. Family Systems Theory, presented by Dr. Murray Bowen, suggests that an individual cannot be understood in isolation from their family members. According to Dr. Bowen, the family is an emotional

Cicerelli, V. (1991) Sibling relationships in middle and old age. In G.H. Brody (Ed) Sibling relationships: Their causes and consequences, 47-73. Norwood, N.J: Ablex.

While social status is becoming more distinct, family relationships are diminishing. It is common while walking through the mall to hear a young girl sassing her mother, or a pair of siblings unpleasantly bickering with one another. Around 10,000 years ago this extreme, malicious behavior was rare because early civilizations were kinship based, meaning that ties of blood and marriage bound groups together. This foundation emphasized the concept of family, involving respect between siblings of the opposite sex, children and parents, and between children-in-law and their parents-in-law. With the advent of industrialization came big cities, causing families to break apart as members moved around for jobs. There remains a kinship among immediate family, but not extended family like in ancient times. Will Durant believes that family is the nucleus of civilization, an idea that our society must readopt from earlier peoples.

In 1972, she writes “Sisterhood” which describes how women of different ethnicities, political and social backgrounds bond over the effects of male dominance and the importance of raising women’s self-esteem.