Definition
Siblings are individuals with mutual parents. Full siblings share both parents, while half-siblings only share one parent. In consequence, on average 50% of the segregating genes of full siblings are same, whereas for half-siblings the number is 25%. According to kinship selection theory, siblings are expected to behave altruistically toward each other, because the mutual genes imply inclusive fitness benefits of such behavior. However, siblings are also expected to compete for parental resources. The opposing forces of cooperation and conflict strongly define sibling relations.
Introduction
Siblings shape each other’s childhood environments significantly, and in a way, each child is born into a different family. While altruistic actions are expected from siblings due to mutual genes, in infancy siblings mostly represent competition for parental resources. A firstborn receives a hundred percent of parental investment for the first few years...
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Berg, V. (2016). Siblings Pose Unique Adaptive Problems. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1493-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1493-1
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