Only Children

Abstract

Only children are children who grow up without siblings. They are assumed to be deficient because they do not have the experience of growing up with siblings. This assumption motivated many studies in the United States and, in general, these studies have found only children to score similarly to others, especially firstborns and children with one sibling, although there is evidence that only children may attain more education than others. In China, the one‐child family became a social norm in cities because of the One‐Child Policy. Chinese only children have been stereotyped as Little Emperors, spoiled and helpless, as a result of the assumed indulgence of two parents and four grandparents. Many studies of Chinese only children have been conducted, and these indicate that some have positive outcomes, reflected in lower levels of psychopathology, while others have negative outcomes, such as enhanced narcissism found among internet samples.

Chinese only children and loneliness: Stereotypes and realities.

“…The term only children refers to individuals who grew up without siblings (Falbo, 2019). Historically, only children have been viewed as deficient by researchers, professionals, and the general public alike (Blake, 1981; Mancillas, 2006).…”

“…In the case of Chinese only children, multiple scholars from diverse fields including psychology, sociology, demography, and anthropology have reached a consensus that growing up without a sibling became a social norm in China, at least in urban areas where the OCP was strictly implemented (Falbo, 2012(Falbo, , 2019Feng et al, 2013;Gu et al, 2007;Whyte et al, 2015). Drawing from China's latest mini-census in 2005, Feng and his associates reported that the OCP has resulted in almost 80% of families in China's big urban centers having only one child, and thus proclaimed "a virtually universal one-child family world is already a reality" (p. 124).…”

“…Therefore, we suggest that future studies also focus on the rural only children's loneliness experience during late adolescence. Additionally, it is noteworthy to note that because the Chinese only children are the product of the national OCP in China (Falbo, 2019), a look at other countries without such family planning policy (e.g., United States and Singapore) may provide more insights into the topic of only children and loneliness.…”

The effect of CEOs’ being the only children in the family on their CSR engagement

“…According to the extant literature, being the only child of a family produces both positive and negative effects on different aspects of a person’s life, including their personality development, academic attainment and mental healthiness. In some literature, it is shown that being the only child of a family is less a blessing in one’s life (Falbo, 1977). For instance, the children born after the implementation of the One-Child Policy in China had fewer opportunities to interact with others compared to their counterparts who had siblings when growing up.…”

“…The status of being an only child (as compared to birth order) presents distinct characteristics and experiences that may warrant separate examination in understanding its potential impact on CEO decision-making and behavior. For instance, one of the fundamental differences is that being an only child have all the parental resources and care, and they do not have to face the rivalry from their siblings (Falbo, 1977; Sulloway, 2001).…”