Skip to main content
  • 245 Accesses

Synonyms

Cain complex; Jealousy complex; Sibling competition; Sibling jealousy

Definition

Sibling rivalry is a type of competition among brothers and sisters, for the love, affection, and attention of one or both parents or for other recognition or gain.

Description

Sibling rivalry often starts right after the birth of the second child, and usually continues throughout childhood and can be very frustrating and stressful to parents. It has been found that feelings of rivalry diminish in adulthood [7].

Sibling rivalry is manifested in the form of verbal or physical aggression, frustration, persistent demands for attention, or as a regressive phenomenon. Older siblings may feel lonely when the younger sibling is born and may indirectly suggest that they do not like the existence of their newborn brother or sister. Others may display frustration or demand attention when the newborn is picked up or provided more attention. Some others may hit, kick, and punch their younger sibling....

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 949.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Bank, S., & Kahn, M. (1976). Sisterhood-brotherhood is powerful: Sibling sub-systems and family therapy. Annual Progress in Child Psychiatry and Child Development, 493–519.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cole, P., Zahn-Waxler, C., & Smith, D. (1994). Expressive control during a disappointment: Variations related to preschoolers’ behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 30, 835–846.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dunn, J., & Kendrick, C. (1982). Siblings: Love, envy, and understanding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hetherington, E. M., & Baltes, P. B. (1988). Child psychology and life-span development. In M. Hetherington, R. Lerner, & M. Perlmutter (Eds.), Child development in life-span perspective. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ilingsworth, R. S. (1987). The normal child (9th ed., pp. 330–333). Edinburgh, UK: Churchill Livingstone.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Leung, A., & Robson, L. (1991). Sibling rivalry. Clinical Pediatrics, 30, 314–317.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Milgram, J., & Ross, H. (1982). Effects of fame in adult sibling relationships. Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research and Practice, 38, 72–79.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Patterson, G. R. (1986). The contribution of siblings to training for fighting: A microsocial analysis. In D. Olweus, J. Blocke, & M. Radke-Yarrow (Eds.), Development of antisocial and prosocial behaviors. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Schachter, F., Gilutz, G., Shore, E., & Adler, M. (1978). Sibling deidentification judged by mothers: Cross-validation and developmental studies. Child Development, 49, 543–546.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Sulloway, F. (1996). Born to rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives (8th ed.). New York: Pantheon Books.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Volling, B., McElwain, N., & Miller, A. (2002). Emotion regulation in context: The jealousy complex between young siblings and its relations with child and family characteristics. Child Development, 73, 581–600.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Gaitonde, S.P. (2011). Sibling Rivalry. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2641

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2641

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

Publish with us

Policies and ethics