When discussing the family and the dynamics involved therein, there seems to be a lack of literature relevant to the relationships of siblings. This is to say, when speaking about the family, it would appear that the way in which siblings interact with one another is of no consequence to understanding the family. In lieu of discussing siblings’ relationships as it pertains to one sibling to the other, the discourse of the family revolves around the “powerful parent-child dyad” (Pfouts 1972, 200). This means that the structure of the family “is often seen in terms of the relationships among adults” (Steelman et al. 2002, 243), and that once these relationships are established, it is assumed that these relationships will have an equal effect
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For example, Durkheim, in his essay the conjugal family cites the words child and children nineteen times, the exact amount of times he cites the word parent(s) (1890). The notion here being that children are only spoken about in reference to their relationship with their parents, going so far as to say established kinship relations exist in the family “only within the limits over which paternal control extends” (CP; Durkheim 1890, 61). This assertion would be further validated by the fact that in his article, Durkheim does not once mention siblings as a factor in the family dynamic, only mentioning brother and sister twice, and then only in relation to their ancestry, not their relationship to one another (CP; Durkheim 1890, …show more content…
Firstly, determining the effect that siblings have on one another would prove to be a difficult task to establish cross culturally (Steelman et al. 2002, 260-262), the reason being that in some cultures, the family consists of a mother, father, and their immediate children. While in other cultures the family consists of multiple parents and all their children. This would present a difficulty in determining the extent to which siblings influence certain outcomes in their peers, if these outcomes occur across these varied cultures regardless of sibling dynamics (Steelman et al. 2002, 260-262). Secondly, all of the above mentioned authors would agree that parents have some, if not a colossal impact in determining their child’s persona. This would mean, that when analyzing the effect one sibling has on another, it would not be enough to analyze their relationship as it exists between them, nor would it be enough to analyze their relationship and the relationship they share with their parents as children of the same family. Rather, in order to understand the impact one sibling could have on another, there would be a need to incorporate the relationship that the parents have with the individual child, and how that in turn effects the relationship between siblings, which, could in turn
For example, Durkheim, in his essay the conjugal family cites the words child and children nineteen times, the exact amount of times he cites the word parent(s) (1890). The notion here being that children are only spoken about in reference to their relationship with their parents, going so far as to say established kinship relations exist in the family “only within the limits over which paternal control extends” (CP; Durkheim 1890, 61). This assertion would be further validated by the fact that in his article, Durkheim does not once mention siblings as a factor in the family dynamic, only mentioning brother and sister twice, and then only in relation to their ancestry, not their relationship to one another (CP; Durkheim 1890, …show more content…
Firstly, determining the effect that siblings have on one another would prove to be a difficult task to establish cross culturally (Steelman et al. 2002, 260-262), the reason being that in some cultures, the family consists of a mother, father, and their immediate children. While in other cultures the family consists of multiple parents and all their children. This would present a difficulty in determining the extent to which siblings influence certain outcomes in their peers, if these outcomes occur across these varied cultures regardless of sibling dynamics (Steelman et al. 2002, 260-262). Secondly, all of the above mentioned authors would agree that parents have some, if not a colossal impact in determining their child’s persona. This would mean, that when analyzing the effect one sibling has on another, it would not be enough to analyze their relationship as it exists between them, nor would it be enough to analyze their relationship and the relationship they share with their parents as children of the same family. Rather, in order to understand the impact one sibling could have on another, there would be a need to incorporate the relationship that the parents have with the individual child, and how that in turn effects the relationship between siblings, which, could in turn