Advantages of Having Siblings: Impact on Personality Development

Introduction

Our siblings are our first friends. They are the blessings from God to us. Relations with brothers and sisters plays an important role in shaping our overall personality and also its a belief that personality is influenced by birth order. While sometimes having siblings seems daunting, there are definitely some advantages of having siblings.

Importance of Siblings in Character Development

After the parents, in the early stages of a child's character development, the siblings are the first social group that the child has. Having siblings may help children to develop sympathy. The bond between siblings means a lifetime of emotional support and a close friendship. A child starts learning when he/she sees in home what siblings are doing. In childhood usually the siblings spend more time together and the have a affect on social, emotional and academic outcomes. So its better for siblings to live their childhood in a happy way, having no fight which will result in future as a positive personality.

During teenage when siblings are growing up towards maturity they get to know who is younger or elder and this birth order situation has a powerful impact upon children's emotions, behaviour and personality development. The elder siblings (firstborn) receives love and attention for a period of time and therefore parents want their elder child to become successful soon and this scenario motivates younger siblings too in enhancing their personality according to their brother or sister. At the same the elder sibling can get jealous when a younger sibling receiving more love and care because he/she is little one in the family and sometime it can have a negative impact on the personality. So it should be noted to parents that how to maintain the love and give positive vibes to elder child so he/she can understand that they are like third parent for their younger siblings.

Advantages of Having Siblings in Adulthood

In adulthood, the personality which is showing tells how siblings affected behavior during their previous stages. Having a positive relationship with siblings is related to a whole host of better outcomes for adults. If the elder sibling does undesirable behavior like smoking, drinking, and other acts it will also affect the younger ones. Those siblings who spend their life with one another in a caring loving and positive way will always support and love each other and proudly tells others that my brother/sister is my inspiration. This personality of an individual can be totally opposite if they have siblings having a negative approach or behavior. Children who grow up as single kid are note fundamentally less socially able than kids who grow up with siblings, however, they are bound to have created social abilities through companions rather than siblings.

Conclusion

God gave us a blessing in the shape of siblings with whom life tend to be spent. Having a sibling can really make you more joyful and more beneficial. So it's definitely possible that siblings have helped shape your personality.

Works Cited

1. Brody, G. H., & Ge, X. (2001). Linking parenting processes and self-regulation to psychological functioning and alcohol use during early adolescence. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(1), 82-94.
2. Conger, K. J., Conger, R. D., & Martin, M. J. (2010). Socioeconomic status, family processes, and individual development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 685-704.
3. McHale, S. M., Updegraff, K. A., & Whiteman, S. D. (2012). Sibling relationships and influences in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(5), 913-930.