Learning the underpinnings of sibling estrangement is a multi-factored experience. It can require us to learn more about the psychology of defense mechanisms, biases, and attachment styles, just to name a few. Another important factor to consider is the emotional maturity of parents. In this article, we’ll explore the ideas of Lindsay C. Gibson’s bookContinue reading “Emotionally Immature Parents and Sibling Estrangement”
Category Archives: Family Estrangement
How Ambiguity Affects Sibling Connections
All sorts of defense mechanisms arise when we speak of how our sibling relates to us in different social contexts with them. One that is seldom discussed, but tends to happen to some of us is what’s called ambiguity. As we’ll come to see, ambiguity can be a power play that our sibling may furtherContinue reading “How Ambiguity Affects Sibling Connections”
Mature Defense Mechanisms and Sibling Estrangement
In my last article, I talked about ego defense mechanisms, and how these can play out with siblings that exhibit these primitive and neurotic strategies. As we’ve seen, these are unhealthy expressions of the ego, which leave us hurt or bewildered. Here, we’ll be looking at what mature defense mechanisms can look like, and howContinue reading “Mature Defense Mechanisms and Sibling Estrangement”
Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Ego Defense Mechanisms Explained
In our quest to understand the underpinnings of sibling estrangement, one particular perspective is almost universally experienced, and it’s that of our sibling’s ego defense mechanisms. These were initially described by Sigmund Freud, and later, his daughter Anna Freud expanded upon them. Many of us have been subjected to disproportionate reactions on our sibling’s part,Continue reading “Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Ego Defense Mechanisms Explained”
Stopping Intergenerational Estrangement: Key Strategies
Every now and then, the question arises within our online support group with just how we can stop intergenerational estrangement. This is a perplexing question for a number of us, as we are highly conscious of what the effects of estrangement are, and don’t want them to be perpetuated to the next generation. It’s concerningContinue reading “Stopping Intergenerational Estrangement: Key Strategies”
Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Recognizing Biases
Without realizing it, we can be subject to biases, through mental shortcuts and distorted thinking. This cannot be more true with sibling estrangement. It may well be that past interactions with us caused a brother or sister to unjustly add blame to justify their feelings or actions. Biases can color perceptions, and make it harderContinue reading “Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Recognizing Biases”
The Influence of Politics on Sibling Estrangement
One day following the election, some of the participants and I in our online support group discussed the impact of this choice. While we were careful to avoid going into specifics of one camp over the next, the commonalities that came out with sibling estrangement were staggering. We were all able to hold each other’sContinue reading “The Influence of Politics on Sibling Estrangement”
Grieving the Sibling We Never Had
Every now and then, people in our community experience an overwhelming sense of sadness with their sibling estrangement, which is normal. And yet, another type of hardship can emerge, which is the realization of what we don’t have. Some people may quickly conclude that they shouldn’t be sad for the sibling they never had, andContinue reading “Grieving the Sibling We Never Had”
To send a Birthday Card or Not?
One particular question that comes up often in our online community is whether it’s the right behavior or not to send a birthday card to our sibling. While this can be a deceptively simple question to answer when there is no estrangement happening in your life with a particular family member, it can be aContinue reading “To send a Birthday Card or Not?”
Sibling Estrangement 