Editorials

#YEAR11PROBLEMS

23 November 2015

By Lauren E. White

Sibling rivalry

For those of us with siblings, rivalry can be something we can relate to or something we can never understand. Yes, we all have fights and arguments with our brothers and sisters, but what about those who have a real competition going on between each other?

Many sibling rivalries last during childhood and adolescence, fading out as the pair (or more) grow older and realise that there’s more to life than competing with your own blood. However, some rivalries do last into adulthood and before you know it boys who grew up together are all smiles when they’re together, but in private are gritting their teeth, trying to out-do the other.

When researching this topic, I realised that sibling rivalry can actually have a more profound affect on a family unit than you might think. The bitterness can all begin when the second child is born and straight away, children may be competing for toys or the attention and affection of one or both of the parents. Consequently, this leaves less time for parents to invest in each other as they are always listening or praising the actions of their competing children.

Despite the problems occurring in early childhood, some siblings can begin to feel the pressure if their bother or sister is an overachiever. A pressure of needing to be as good or better than their sibling can kick in during adolescence in particular, causing a deep split between them. While this pressure is often suppressed, there is no doubt that the pressure really has an impact on the young adult and how they act and perform – it can result in more stress and possibly burnouts if they overwork themselves to become better than the other.

The whole concept of sibling rivalry can appear to be extremely petty when you’re looking from the outside in… I mean, who really cares about being better than their sister or brother? Why can’t you be happy for them? These questions are easy ones, though, if you have never experienced the pressure we spoke about in the paragraph above. However, I’m sure that the answers to them aren’t so easy.

See you next week.

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