Siblings: Between Twinning and Rivalry

Abstract

The bond between siblings is probably the most ambivalent of familial bonds. Although it is an inextricable relationship, it can break down as individual brothers and sisters make their way through life. This particular link is imposed by the circumstances of family biography but can be ended after that. One is born brother or sister and one remains brother and sister. However, this is a relationship that can dissolve and fritter away as time goes by unless a deliberate choice is made to maintain it. Siblings must “rechoose” each other for the relationship to have meaning and for it to last in any kind of intimate sense.