sibling rivalry
Familial competitive tension
Sibling rivalry is competition or conflict between brothers and sisters, typically for parental attention, resources, or status within the family.
The term appears in psychology and everyday speech: The constant sibling rivalry exhausted their parents.
It can persist into adulthood, surfacing over inheritances, achievements, or perceived favoritism.
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- birth orderSequence among siblings
- competitionStruggle for supremacy
- golden childFamily's most favored member
black sheep · brother · big brother · tattling · family dynamics · comparison · hand-me-downs · Cain and Abel · sister · little sister · middle child · parental influence · envy · family feud · conflict · favoritism · playing favorites · family therapy
- family humorfamily jokes, dad jokes, marriage jokes, husband jokes, wife jokes
- Parenting Strugglestantrums, bedtime battles, picky eaters, potty training, screen time
- rivalriesenemy, nemesis, derby, opponent, competitor
- sibling storiesCain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Hansel and Gretel, Romulus and Remus, Little Women
- child psychotherapyplay therapy, Melanie Klein, art therapy, sand tray, sandplay
- familymother, father, parents, parent, son
sibling rivalrysibling bond
Relationship between family-born peers
brotherly love · sisterly love · sibling loyalty · mutual admiration · sibling love
rival, sibling, rivalry, siblings, rivals, rivaling, rivalled, rivalling, rivaled