Sibling Relationships Case Study

Introduction The presence of siblings in one’s life, and the quality of these relationships, can have a significant impact on human development. Sibling relationships are the most enduring relationship in the human lifespan and the developmental impacts of these relationships are extremely relevant to our society as 80-85% of individuals have siblings (D. Erikson, lecture, October 30, 2014). In this paper the quality of sibling relationships, including level of emotional support, rates of conflict, and presence of differential parent-treatment and sibling jealousy are examined. These sibling interactions are then investigated as potential predictors of future relationship behaviors—such as relational conflict, distress, and satisfaction. More

This theory states that the process of human development and growth takes place within, and is influenced by, a large ecological system (Brofenbrenner, 1994). This system has several levels ranging from immediate developmental influences such as peers, siblings, and parents to more indirect influences such as cultural patterns and customs—all of which support and guide an individual’s growth (Brofenbrenner, 1994). Within the concepts of this theory sibling relationships fall into multiple levels— they can influence human development at both the microsystem and mesosystem levels. The microsystem involves interactions in an individual’s immediate environment, wherein which patterns of interactions in face-to-face settings determine one’s engagement in their immediate environment (Brofenbrenner, 1994). Within the microsystem exists enduring, long-term, and reciprocal interactions between the developing person and the people, objects, and symbols present in their immediate environment—these complex interactions are known as proximal processes (A. Taylor, lecture, August 28, 2014). As sibling relationships are the most enduring relationship in the human lifespan, these consistent, reciprocal, face-to-face interactions greatly influence the growth of the developing individual. Whether these processes involve interactions of warmth and support, competition and

The study, while controlling for parental and friend support, found that higher levels of sibling support were related to lower levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. This was true for both younger and older siblings—and remained true whether they were the givers or receivers of this emotional support (Branje et al., 2004). These articles show that both positive and negative sibling interactions can have significant influences on one’s cognitive and emotional development, as well as one’s behaviors and future