Incorporating the latest research and clinical work in family dynamics, this book examines multiple angles of integrating sibling issues, which underlie issues at the core of many clinical difficulties presented by adult clients, in therapy to improve adulthood emotional and psychological well-being.

Incorporating the latest research and clinical work in family dynamics, this book examines multiple angles of integrating sibling issues, which underlie issues at the core of many clinical difficulties presented by adult clients, in therapy to improve adulthood emotional and psychological well-being.

The bond siblings develop in childhood may be vastly different from the relationship that evolves in adulthood. Driven by affection but also characterized by ambivalence and ambiguity, adult sibling relationships can become hurtful, uncertain, competitive, or exhausting though the undercurrents of love and loyalty remain. An approach that recognizes the positive aspects of the changing sibling relationship, as well as those that need improvement, can restore healthy ties and rebuild family closeness. With in-depth case studies of more than 260 siblings over the age of forty and interviews with experts on mental health and family interaction, this book offers vital direction for traversing the emotional terrain of adult sibling relations. It pursues a richer understanding of ambivalence, a normal though little explored feeling among siblings, and how ambiguity about the past or present can lead to miscommunication and estrangement. For both professionals and general readers, this book clarifies the most confounding elements of sibling relationships and provides specific suggestions for realizing new, productive avenues of friendship in middle and later life—skills that are particularly important for siblings who must cooperate to care for aging parents or give immediate emotional or financial support to other siblings or family members.

The first section covers Sibling Dynamics: General Issues: here contributors look at intense sibling relationships, effects of birth order and family structure, and ethnic issues. Section II, entitled When Siblings Are Close: The Early Years, covers such issues as the sibling dynamics in large families, divorcing and remarried families, and alcoholic families, as well as treatment of brother-sister incest and with siblings of disabled children. Moving into adolescence and young adulthood in Section III, Balancing Closeness and Separateness, clinicians share their experiences of working with symptoms as sibling messages, recognizing the special dynamics in families where the siblings are all of one gender, and supporting the sibling relationship n eating-disordered families and in families where one sibling has a chronic mental illness. In Section IV, Settling Old Scores: The Middle Years, we are reminded that childhood siblings conflicts can haunt adult relationships. In addition, chapters examine sibling dynamics in family businesses and :sibling" issues among cotherapists and coauthors. A sibling is often an individual's most enduring intimate contact, as the sibling relationship may last longer than those with parents, spouses, and children. Section V, Facing the Problems of Aging: The Late Years, explores relationships among adult siblings who care for their aged parents and among elderly siblings.

The most long-lasting and enduring relationship an individual can develop is with a sibling. Considering the closeness in age and early association of siblings, they can bond for a lifetime. Psychologists are beginning to appreciate the sibling link and its dynamic role in a child's social development. Beyond the mother-child dyad, sibling associations are now attributed with determining cognitive faculties, emotional balance, self-sufficiency, and peer interactions. Clarifying the complex processes of these relationships and the benefit of parental involvement, Avidan Milevsky provides a foundational text for a growing area of study. Deploying personal narrative, theoretical examinations, and empirical data, he unravels the intricacies of the sibling exchange and their function in overall family structures. He identifies the factors that make such bonds successful (or harmful) and the influence of parents in shaping these outcomes. He also evaluates the compensatory possibilities of the sibling bond when faced with the absence of a parent or friend. Variables such as age, birth order, gender, and family size are tremendous considerations, and parents hoping to enhance the sibling bond gain immensely from understanding these predictors. Milevsky shows practitioners how to educate parents and help them apply their knowledge in practice. He particularly supplies crucial perspective on "deidentification," or conscious differentiation, in which parents encourage different life paths to minimize sibling comparison and competition. A major tool for clinicians, social service providers, and educators, this book clarifies the next frontier in child development research.

Incorporating the latest research and clinical work in family dynamics, this book examines multiple angles of integrating sibling issues, which underlie issues at the core of many clinical difficulties presented by adult clients, in therapy to improve adulthood emotional and psychological well-being.