Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Sociology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-40).

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-30).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-60).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 245-255).

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work, 1993. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

No description available.

A total of 321 young adult sibling dyads (104 male-female, 108 male-male, and 109 female-female) and 131 singletons completed a set of questionnaires examining the sibling relationship from an attachment perspective. Four central research findings are presented: First, attachment to sibling was significantly correlated with parenting, adult attachment self-model, satisfaction with social support, frequency of contact, and personality traits. Specifically, increased independence encouragement and acceptance by parents, decreased maternal rivalry, a more positive self-model, larger and more satisfying social support networks, and greater frequency of contact between siblings were related to greater quality of attachment to sibling. Also, higher levels of NEO Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Emotional Stability were positively correlated with attachment to sibling. Second, there was considerable reciprocity in the attachment relationship for all pair types (r = .58) indicating that siblings' ratings of the quality of their attachment to each other tend to correspond quite highly. Third, more positive self- and other-models were related to increased ratings of positive relationship variables such as affection, emotional support, and satisfaction, and decreased ratings of negative relationship variables such as antagonism, quarreling and alienation. Fourth, concordance rates in attachment self- and other-models were very low, indicating that siblings do not resemble each other in the attachment dimensions. However, siblings appear to describe each other's attachment models relatively accurately, and perceive themselves as having similar self- and other-models to their siblings. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical advancements for attachment theory and the sibling literature, and practical implications for fostering positive sibling relationships. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

In an effort to further understand communication within sibling relationships, this study examined adult sibling relationships and the connection between attachment styles and the strategies or relational maintenance behaviors used to maintain such relationships. The study will employ the theoretical framework of attachment theory originally presented by Bowlby (1973). Scholars agree that the basic principle of attachment theory is that attachment relationships continue to be an important factor throughout the life span. Current research has used this theory to link attachment style with the use of relational maintenance behaviors in voluntary relationships. Having developed this framework, the next logical application of the theory is to discuss the use of attachment style and relational maintenance behaviors in non-voluntary relations. Of particular interest to this study is the connection between siblings in middle adulthood and the maintenance strategies used with their sibling.

Birth-order and sibling differences in the subjective perception of personality traits were studied in 170 children and adults. Based on Adlerian psychology theory, it was hypothesized that siblings see themselves as different on various personality traits, that the psychological position a child identifies with does not always correspond with birth-order, and that perceived traits are more closely related to psychological position than to birth-order. The 170 subjects studied included 30 families with either three boys or three girls and 40 families with either two boys or two girls. All were between the ages of 11 and 25. Additional variables explored in this study were sex of child, socioeconomic level of family, and family size. A semantic differential scale and a modification of an Adlerian family constellation form were used to examine the differences among siblings in their perception of traits and their association with both birth-order and psychological position. A subsample was retested after two weeks. Repeated scores occurred within (+OR-) one unit 73 to 80% of the time. The majority of children studied felt different from their siblings and in most cases identified from 10% to 30% of the traits where differences were perceived as large. As hypothesized, psychological position was not always the same as birth-order especially for second and third children. Of the 30 middle children, 15 felt squeezed, 6 felt like psychological eldest and 3 felt like strivers. For third-born children, 14 felt like youngest, and 10 felt like they had gone ahead of the second child. Most of the first-born children (80%) were also psychologically first. Significant differences among psychological positions and perceived traits were found among sibling comparisons. Socioeconomic level and sex were found to influence the relation of birth-order and psychological position to self and sibling perception on various traits, but only to a limited extent.