4 - Self-disclosure and the sibling relationship: what did Romulus tell Remus?

Summary

Introduction

For many individuals, relationships with siblings form both the “figure” and the “ground” of their lives. Relationships with siblings are the ground in the sense that these relationships often extend across the life span. Almost by definition, relations with siblings are a part of our lives, even though sometimes they may be more in the background than the fore ground. However, at specific times, these relationships may acquire a special significance – siblings can become central to our experience as important figures of attachment, as teachers, as companions, or, as we will show in this chapter, as individuals with whom persons engage in intimate selfdisclosure. By intimate self-disclosure we mean the reciprocal sharing of confidential, privileged information with one's sibling that is frequently of an affective nature. On the basis of theory derived from empirical research on processes within the sibling relationship and using data from our own studies of children's sibling relationships, we show how the relationship can be an ideal context for self-disclosure. Finally, we discuss how features of the relationship and the broader context are related to the extent of self-disclosure that children experience with their siblings.

Beyond psychological theory and research, the world of literature provides evidence that children, adolescents, and adults frequently engage in self-disclosure with siblings.