Sibling Rivalry

The Causes of Sibling Rivalry

Adults that decide to expand their family and conceive another child must prepare for a wide spectrum of experiences that follow. Multiple children under one household can provide a family with everlasting happiness, yet it may also be the core to many financial and emotional disputes that slowly accumulate. However, a problem that commonly arises between siblings is rivalry. Sibling rivalry refers to the negative aspects of relationships between brothers and sisters, which may include jealousy, competition, and verbal or physical fighting. In fact, about one in three kids who have a sibling is being targeted for physical or verbal abuse. This may be a temporary matter in some cases, but there are chances that …show more content…
A kid can become envious of their sibling when they believe unequal amounts of attention and discipline is given by their family or friends. They assume that the sibling is to blame for “stealing” the parent’s affection, and it is easier for them to fault and attack the sibling than to criticize the parent. They target their sibling for allowing inequality to occur, however, this may simply be a misunderstanding. Moreover, children that regularly compare their number of achievements to their sibling’s and discover that they are not as successful as them become envious at their sibling’s talents. For example, these achievements can be based on the grades they receive or the awards they win from extracurricular activities. Ultimately, the child is unhappy that their sibling is being rewarded with such talents that attract the most attention. They may attempt to sabotage their sibling’s achievement, which can result in a life long mistake that is never forgiven. Another aspect that changes child relationships is the level of social skills each sibling has. When a kid struggles with making friends at school and their brother or sister excels at having a large friend group, it can cause them to experience emotional problems that affect their outlook on …show more content…
From the perspective of a growing child, one of the most important goals is to achieve the expectations their parents enforce. They strive towards this goal and want to receive praise from their parents. However, kids that are constantly competitive and perceive their siblings as rivals believe the objective is domination, and they execute extreme measures to accomplish this. In due time, hard feelings, aggressiveness, and possibly long-term antagonism can emerge between the children. Furthermore, kids who are aware of the financial or relationship complications their parents experience may develop a counter attitude. Children that are continuously around negative influences believe that it is normal behaviour, and begin to adjust their actions based on their observations. Occasionally, they may also assume that they are the root cause of their parents’ problems. As a result, they direct unnecessary anger to their sibling because they believe that their brother or sister is also responsible. In addition, parents assume that comparing siblings to one another is motivating, however, this strategy can backfire. Since a young child typically believes in the words that their parent says, they establish the mentality that their sibling is the better child in their parents’ mind. They become upset and may bully their sibling, which may