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Background of the Study
Family is the basic foundation of every society. Parents have the most significant roles played in every family life. Both of them have the responsibilities for the upbringing of their children. It is the parents’ primary responsibility to nurture their kids, provide their needs, and support their emotional and psychosocial development. It is in the parent’s hand that lies the upbringing of their children into responsible members of the society. In handling family affairs, a lot of things are needed to consider. As children grew up, they have acquire different personalities and interest. Competition is almost common, hence the issue on siblings rivalry.
Siblings’ rivalry originates from various factors. Their patterns of behavior differ to each other as they acquired some from the people they deal with, or the manner of which how they relate to other people, both inside or outside their home. The community and family have greater influence over our attitude because we learn our values, religious beliefs, behavioral responses among other things. Good Siblings relationships are known to be contributor for individual’s good interaction with outside people or their peer groups. The quality of home relationships manifested outside home, hence when there are relationship problems in family home, an individual cannot find good friendships and social interactions.
Siblings’ relationships change sometimes as the children grow up. Individual differences arise as they learn to integrate with the society. There are turning points at which children may have change in behavior. These happen when one child is in adolescent stage and his sibling is still in the childhood stage. They have different interests and as a result, the adolescent kid may find dealing with younger siblings to be boring. They may reduce time for bonding with younger ones and given more interest in going out with friends of their age. Psychologists explained that this is because the situation has changed from siblings’ equality into individuality where the older one may decide to pursue more, find more and explore rather than staying at home with younger siblings. Younger siblings who reach the adolescent age tend not t duplicate the lifestyle of their older sibling. They trying to find out how to establish their own individuality or identity. Growing up children find their own world where they can feel the sense of belongingness with others.
As the children discovered new things from outside experiences, they also share the same behavior or attitude inside their house. When there are similarities with their interests and experiences, it is more likely that cooperation happened between them. However, when there are conflicting views or understanding, as attributed to their acquired values outside home, there arise a competition between the children. This is resulting to siblings’ rivalry.
There are many factors which are associated with sibling’s rivalry, such as competition with regards to their individuality, competition to win attention of their parents, factionalism with other siblings where each has their favorite younger sibling. Conflicting views and ideas may also contribute for the increase in rivalry. There are some other family affairs experts who have said that family practice or parental upbringing may trigger rivalry between kids. For example, when one or both of the parents showed obvious favoritism to their children, the ones who did not get parent’s attention tend to rebel, or create her own identity and try to discredit the favorite child. In anything that the child achieve, the other child may also do something to counter such achievement. Parents’ treatment to children in many cases causes siblings rivalry.
There are studies which revealed that the management approaches on siblings’ rivalry. There are certain instances of which the parents are advised on the things they must do in handling rivalry between their children. There are measures of which the parents should learn how to teach the children solve their own problem. Whether parenting would be considered as contributory for sibling relationship as well as the intention to determine management tips for parents in siblings’ management, among other things, are the major concerns this research elaborate and discuss.
Problem Statement and Objective
This research has the intention of identifying the different aspects related to siblings’ rivalry, with the end in view that the outcome could contribute for the enrichment of parents’ and children’s knowledge on the proper handling of family management. Certain factors available through research findings can best suit for the needs of every family in order to address the problems related to siblings’ relationships.
Basically, this research work has the intention to answer the following problems:
1. What are the factors leading to siblings rivalry
2. What are the impacts of siblings’ rivalry toward the family home life?
3. What are the management techniques essential to improve relationships between children?
4. Is there significant relationships between the manner of parenting and development of siblings’ rivalry?
5. What is the extent of the study’s implications toward social development?
Annotated Bibliography
Finzi-Dottan, R. & Cohen, O. (2010). Young Adult Sibling Relations: The Effects of Perceived Parental Favoritism and Narcissism. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied 145 (1).
The authors of this paper are well-known scholars in the field of Psychology. Further, this article was published in a peer-reviewed journal which has 145 volumes. Therefore, this means that the credibility of this article cannot be questioned. This research studies a sample of 202 young adults aged 21-32 years old using the Adult sibling relationship questionnaire and the narcissistic personality inventory. It was indicated in the results that the sibling rivalry phenomenon is a result of favoritism among the parents. Furthermore, it was enumerated what are the factors which affect the prevalence of the siblings’ rivalry including gender, age, parental favoritism, high levels of narcissism, similarity and dissimilarity, and interactions between them. This paper is ideal in formulating the instrument to be used in this research as it has already established the framework for the same.
Kramer, L., Perozynski, L.A. & Chung, T. (2003). Parental Responses to Sibling Conflict: The Effects of Development and Parent Gender. Child Development 70 (6), 1401-1414.
This paper was published in a peer-reviewed journal with very high impact factor. Hence, there is no question as to the reliability as other scholars reviewed it before being published. The paper revealed the responses of the parents and the relationship of their age, gender, and other factors which could have affected the same, every time they are dealing with conflicts between their children. Finally, this paper showed how the responses of the parents have significant effects as to the intensity of the rivalry between their children.
Stocker, C.M., Lanthier, R.P., & Wyndol, F. (1997). Sibling Relationships in Early Adulthood.
Journal of Family Psychology, 11(2), 210-221.
The journal where this research was published is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA), the leading institution and authority for psychology in the world. It was often cited by most of the published articles and therefore obtaining an ideal impact factor for a journal. The nature of the sibling relationship during the young adulthood stage, which is considered by many as among the most crucial in the development of an individual was described and correlated with the individual differences of the siblings. This paper likewise tested the variables and the factors using the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire and has a sample of 383 individuals.
Numerous dimensions were enumerated and considered to be independent with one another including warmth, conflict, and rivalry. This paper is an ideal source of information for this research as it provided the methodologies and the instruments which are applicable. The same goes true with the statistical methods to be employed. However, the applicability of the methods and the results of this research are questionable because it was written almost two decades ago.
Walfish, F. (2014) Podcast: Solving Sibling Rivalry with Dr. Fran Walfish! Retrieved from http://bobbleheaddad.com/bobblehead-dad-radio/podcast-solving-sibling-rivalry-with-dr-fran-walfish#sthash.E3hPmsWT.dpuf
A Podcast is not considered to be among the most reliable sources of information in an academic research paper. However, there are also reliable information to be extracted from the podcasts like this one for example. Dr. Fran Walfish is a well-known psychologist in the United States who authored multiple books and academic research papers.
Both the host of the podcast and Dr. Walfish exchanged experiences about childhood sibling rivalry where the latter mostly explains what happens. Further, Dr. Walfish is successful in explaining the concepts in a very detailed and comprehensive manner. Also, what was advised during the podcast are all expert opinions which was learned not through mere subjectivity but on the objective facts of the case.
Center for Effective Parenting (2006). Sibling Rivalry among Older Children. Retrieved from http://www.parenting-ed.org/handouts/sibling%20rivalry.pdf
This is a web-based source which was distributed as a PDF by a legitimate and well-established organization for parenting based in Arkansas through their website. This was published for free distribution among the parents of children who have rivalries with their siblings. However, there is a question as to the reliability as the name of the author was not written.
The paper presentation enumerated the reasons why children fight as well as the solutions to avoid such occurrence. Meanwhile, this was done through the examination of the case of the older siblings who are deemed more competent. Although this lacks the academic sophistication which was often required in academic researches, this remains to be an applicable source but is not enough to be the basis of the framework of the research.
Stephens, K. (2007). Sibling Rivalry: Ways to Help Children Manage It. Retrieved from http://www.easternflorida.edu/community-resources/child-development-centers/parent-resource-library/documents/sibling-rivalry.pdf
This is another web-based source which is a reliable source of information. However, the specific author of this paper is a well-known psychologist and family counselor. The contents of the paper will be helpful in the formulation of the research framework and a significant amount of review of literature. While most of the researchers is centered on in solving the problem among the parents, the role of the parents as advised by the author is limited only to assisting the children themselves cope with the rivalry.
