Relative Power in Sibling Relationships Across Adolescence

Abstract

During childhood, older siblings typically hold a more powerful position in their relationship with their younger siblings, but these relationships are thought to become more egalitarian during adolescence as siblings begin to prepare for their relationships as adults and as younger siblings become more socially and cognitively competent. Little is known about relationship factors that may explain this shift in power dynamics, however. The present study therefore examined longitudinal changes in adolescents' and their siblings' perceptions of sibling relative power from age 12 to 18 (n = 145 dyads), and examined whether different levels of sibling relationship positivity and negativity, as well as sibling structural variables, indicated different over-time changes in relative power. Multilevel models indicated that adolescents reported significant declines in their siblings' relative power across adolescence, with older siblings relinquishing the most power over time. However, only siblings with less positively involved relationships reported declines in relative power, suggesting that siblings who maintain highly involved relationships may not become more egalitarian during adolescence.

How Is Knowledge Perceived as Power? A Multilevel Model of Knowledge Power in Innovation Networks

“…2. At the dyadic level: studies in the field of psychology have found that as relative ability declines, the party that originally held more power will give up some power (Lindell and Campione-Barr, 2017). In other words, the shifting of capability will change the balance of inter-organizational power.…”

Conflict Resolution and Emotional Expression in Sibling and Mother-Adolescent Dyads: Within-Family and Across-Context Similarities

“…Identifying moment-to-moment associations between emotion and behavior in early adolescent sibling conflict is especially critical, as sibling relationships are unique in several ways. First, unlike mother-child relationships, sibships are relatively egalitarian, especially by adolescence, when imbalances in knowledge and experience decrease (Lindell & Campione-Barr, 2017). Parent-child conflict usually ends in win-loss outcomes favoring the parent, whereas sibling conflict often results in standoffs, with children reporting high rates of passive strategies such as avoidance and withdrawal (Raffaelli, 1992; Recchia, Ross, & Vickar, 2010).…”

A Reciprocal and Dynamic Development Model for the Effects of Siblings on Children’s Theory of Mind

“…Moreover, sibling relationships show dynamic changes with age. Sibling relationships transform across time from hierarchical interactions in childhood and adolescence to egalitarian exchanges by adulthood, indicating relative power changes over time (Campione-Barr, 2017;Lindell and Campione-Barr, 2017). Regarding the characteristics mentioned above, the dominant pattern of sibling interactions may vary according to specific combinations of siblings with different characters and ages.…”

“…Sibling structural variables refer to a series of demographic factors of the sibling composition, such as sibling number, birth order, age range, and sex composition (Lindell and Campione-Barr, 2017). Many studies have been conducted to identify what sibling structural variables might affect children's ToM.…”