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The Essential Ingredients of Successful Sibling Relationships: An Emerging Framework for Advancing Theory and Practice
Author(s) -
Kramer Laurie
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00122.x
Subject(s) - psychology , sibling , prosocial behavior , ambivalence , normative , intervention (counseling) , set (abstract data type) , social psychology , developmental psychology , interpersonal communication , sibling relationship , interpersonal relationship , epistemology , philosophy , psychiatry , computer science , programming language
— Although conflict is a frequent and dynamic interpersonal process in children’s sibling relationships, ambivalence (i.e., combinations of, or shifts between, positive and negative behaviors and affects) may better characterize normative sibling interactions. Nonetheless, there is a general assumption that reducing conflict is the most effective mechanism for improving sibling relationships. This review argues that the focus on conflict as the predominant attribute of sibling relationships is misplaced and has served to overshadow research on other relationship processes; it has also handicapped the development of effective prevention and intervention tools. Strategies are presented for moving theory, research, and practice toward the identification and development of factors and social processes that promote prosocial forms of sibling engagement and manage conflict. Innovative strategies are needed on two fronts: to help young siblings set their relationship on a positive trajectory and to help them avoid or remediate conflictual interactions.